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university  of 

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X 


BOOK    398.2.SK3   c   1 


3    'ilSa    0015M2t,i    1 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF 

FLOWERS,  TREES,  FRUITS, 

AND  PLANTS 


THIRD  EDITION 


MYTHS  and  LEGENDS  SERIES 

Bt  CHARLES  M.  SKINNER 

American  Myths  and  Legends 

Two  Tolumef.    Illu»trated.    Cloth,  gilt  top,    $1.50 
net ;  half  morocco,  I5.00  net. 

Myths  and  Legends  of  Flowers, 
Trees,  Fruits,  and  Plants 

Illustrated.      Large   iimo.      Cloth,   ornamental, 
$1.50  net. 

Myths   and    Legends    Beyond    Our 
Borders 

Myths  and   Legends   of  Our  New 
Possessions 

Myths  and  Legends   of  Our  Own 

Land    (Two  Tolumet.) 

Illuitrated.      iimo.      Buckram,   gilt   top,   $1.50 
per  Tolumc. 


J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  CO. 

PUBLISHERS  FHILADELFHIA 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF 

FLOWERS,  TREES,  FRUITS, 

AND  PLANTS 

IN  ALL  AGES  AND  IN  ALL  CLIMES 
By 

CHARLES  M.  SKINNER 


PHILADELPHIA    &    LONDON 
J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 


COPTBIGHT,  1911,  BY  J.  B.  UFPINCOTT  COHFAITT 
FUBUSHBD  SEFT£MBEB,  1911 


PEINTKD  BY  J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPAKY 

AT  THB  WASHINGTON  SQUAEK  PEKSS 

PHILADELPHIA,  U.  S.  A. 


CONTENTS 


PAOB 

Plant  Lore „ 9 

Eably  Christian  Legends 16 

Fairy  Flowers 22 

Narcotics  and  Stimulants 24 

Plants  of  III  Renown 29 

Flowers,  Trees,  Fruits,  and  Plants. 

y  Acacia 34 

Acanthus 35 

Achyranthes 36 

Aconite 36 

Alligator  Tail 38 

Almond 39 

Amaranth 42 

Anemone 42 

^    Apple 43 

Arbutus 50 

Arum 52 

Ash 53 

Avocado  Pear 56 

Bahn 57 

Balm  of  Gilead 58 

Basil 59 

Bean 61 

Beech 62 

Birch 63 

Blackberry 64 

Blood  Tree 66 

Box 67 

Briony 68 

Broom 69 

Bugloss 70 

Cabbage 70 

Cactus 71 

CameUa 72 

Campanula. 73 

Camphor 73 


V 


CONTENTS 


Canna 74 

Carnation 75 

Carob 76 

»^  Cedar 77 

Chamomile 78 

Cherry  and  Plum 79 

Chestnut 82 

Chicory 83 

Chrysanthemum 84 

Cinchona 87 

Cinnamon 87 

Citron 88 

Gematis 88 

Clover  and  Shamrock 89 

Columbine 92 

Cornel 93 

Cornflower 93 

Cotton 94 

Crocus 95 

Crowfoot 97 

Crown  Imperial 97 

Cucumber 98 

Cypress 98 

J  DahUa 99 

Daisy 100 

Dandelion 101 

Dhak 102 

Ebony 103 

Edelweiss 103 

Egg-plant 104 

Elder 105 

Ehn 106 

Eryngo 108 

Fern 108 

Fig Ill 

Fir 113 

Flax 115 

Flowers  of  Parnassus 116 

Forget-me-not 118 

Gentian 120 

Geranium 120 

vi 


CONTENTS 


Ginseng 121 

Grasses,  Grains,  and  Reeds 122 

Hawthorn 131 

Hazel 132 

Heath 134 

Heliotrope 135 

Hellebore 135 

Hemlock 136 

Hemp 136 

Horehound 137 

House-leek 137 

Hyacinth 138 

Hypericum 139 

Indian  Plume 139 

Iris 140 

Jambu,  or  Soma 142 

Jasmine 143 

Juniper 144 

Larch 146 

Larkspur 146 

'  Laurel 147 

Leek 149 

Lily 150 

LUy  of  the  Valley 156 

Lilac 157 

Linden 157 

Lotus 160 

Maguey 162 

Maize 164 

Mallow 168 

Mandrake 168 

Mango 170 

Maple V 172 

Marigold 174 

Marjoram 175 

Melon 176 

Mignonette. 177 

Mimosa 178 

Mint 178 

Mistletoe 179 

Morning-glory 182 

vii 


CONTENTS 


Moss 182 

Motherwort 184 

Mulberry 184 

Mustard 186 

Myrrh 187 

Myrtle 188 

Narcissus 191 

Nettle 192 

Oak 193 

Oleander 201 

Olive 202 

The  Onion  and  Its  Kind 204 

Orange 205 

Orchid 206 

Pahn 206 

Pansy 210 

Passion  Flower 211 

Paulownia 212 

Pea 212 

Peach 213 

Peepul 214 

Peony 215 

Pimpernel 216 

Pine 217 

Plantain 221 

^   Pomegranate 221 

Poplar 223 

Poppy 225 

Primrose 228 

Pumpkin 229 

Radish 230 

Ragweed 231 

Resurrection  Plant 231 

J  Rose 232 

Rosemary 260 

Rue 261 

Sage 262 

Saint  Foin 263 

St.  Johnswort 264 

Sal 264 

Saxifrage 265 

viii 


CONTENTS 


Shepherd's  Purse 266 

Sak  Cotton 266 

Snowdrop 268 

SpeedweU 269 

Springwort 269 

Spruce 270 

Stramonium 271 

Strawberry 272 

Sugar 271 

Sunflower 273 

Tamarisk 274 

^  Thistle 275 

TuUp 277 

Valerian 279 

Violet 280 

The  Vines 284 

Wallflower 288 

Wahiut 289 

'     Water-lily 291 

Willow 293 

Wormwood 298 

Yew 299 

Ylang-ylang 301 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAOB 

Blossoms Frontispiece 

From  the  painting  by  Albert  Moore 

The  Wreath  of  Fruit 10 

By  Rubens 

Isabella  and  the  Pot  of  Basil 60 

By  John  W.  Alexander 

Box  IN  THE   Garden   of   Martha   Washington   at   Mount 
Vernon  67 

Plaster  Figure  Decorated  with  Dwarf  Chrysanthemums, 
AT  the  Flower  Festival,  Tokyo 85 

Carnation  Lily,  Lily  Rose 151 

From  the  painting  by  John  Singer  Sargent 

The  Madonna  op  the  Chair 200 

From  the  painting  by  Raphael 

The  Three  Graces  Garlanding  a  Statue  of  Hymen 247 

From  the  painting  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds 

Phil^,  the  Temple  Island 274 

The  Grape  Eaters 284 

By  Murillo 

The  Legend  of  the  Willow 294 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF 

FLOWERS,  TREES,  FRUITS, 

AND  PLANTS 


PLANT  LORE 


When  the  legends  and  fables  of  simpler  times  pertain 
to  trees  and  flowers,  they  are  especially  luminative  of  the 
mental  processes  of  unschooled  men ;  for  the  vegetable  world 
has  changed  little  in  three  thousand  years,  and  the  marks 
and  colors  that  explain  some  beliefs  are  still  impressed  on 
the  leaves  and  petals.  The  sjrtnbolism  adopted  therefrom 
is  wide  in  meaning,  and  to  this  day  is  in  common  use.  It 
is  poetic,  hence  it  appeals  to  every  intelligence;  for  while 
we  affect  to  prize  poetry  for  its  beauty,  to  the  savage 
it  was  native  speech,  inasmuch  as  his  vocabulary  was  alle- 
goric— a  humanization  of  the  skies,  the  sunsets,  the  storms, 
the  flowers.  "We  sometimes  hear  that  ours  is  a  material, 
dull  age,  yet  we  perpetuate  terms  and  usances  which  ally 
us  to  the  childhood  of  the  race,  and  which  stand  for  imagina- 
tion and  sheer  loveliness.  We  still  speak  of  laureled  brows, 
palms  of  victory,  the  rose  of  beauty,  the  lily  of  purity,  the 
oak  of  strength,  willowy  grace,  fig-trees  of  shelter,  and  corn 
of  abundance ;  we  extend  the  olive  branch  of  peace,  we  put 
our  legs  under  our  host's  mahogany,  we  indicate  poison  by 
nightshade  and  toadstools,  and  health  by  flowers  and  fruits. 
Though  Bacchus  is  no  longer  with  us,  we  emblemize  him 

9 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

in  our  reference  to  the  vine.  Moreover,  states  and  nations 
choose  their  flowers,  and  certain  Scottish  Highlanders  still 
wear  them  as  badges  of  their  clans.  The  liking  for  these 
things,  their  service  to  the  eye,  antedates  history,  and 
although  Shakespeare  lived  when  there  was  no  botany,  and 
only  an  enjoyment  of  nature  in  place  of  the  study  of  it, 
his  chance  mention  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  trees  and 
plants  hints  at  the  regard  such  matters  enjoyed  in  those 
days. 

The  very  religions  of  all  lands  have  fruits  and  trees  in 
their  cosmogonies,  and  plant-lore  opens  a  quaint  human 
document  in  its  disclosure  of  that  self-complacency  which 
assumed  the  earth  to  be  a  strictly  human  property,  in  which 
all  was  for  the  service  of  man,  and  nothing  existed  of  its 
own  right.  Out  of  this  notion  came  the  doctrine  of  signa- 
tures— '*a  system  for  discovering  the  medicinal  uses  of  a 
plant  from  something  in  its  external  appearance  that  re- 
sembled the  disease  it  would  cure.'*  For  instance,  the 
leaves  of  aspen  shook,  hence  it  must  be  good  for  shaking 
palsy;  gromwell  had  a  stony  seed,  so  it  was  prescribed 
for  gravel ;  saxifrage  grew  in  cracks  in  the  rocks,  therefore 
it  would  crack  the  deposits  known  as  stone  in  the  bladder; 
knots  of  scrophularia  were  prescribed  for  scrofulous  swell- 
ings, the  pappus  of  scabiosa  for  leprosy,  the  spotted  leaves 
of  pulmonaria  for  consumption  (notice  how  these  beliefs 
and  uses  have  named  certain  species),  nettle  tea  was  for 
nettle  rash,  blood-root  for  dysentery,  turmeric  for  jaundice, 
because  it  was  the  color  of  a  jaundiced  skin ;  wood  sorrel, 
having  a  heart-shaped  leaf,  was  a  cordial,  or  heart  restora- 
tive; liverwort  corrected  an  inactive  liver;  dracontium,  or 
herb  dragon,  was  a  cure  for  snake  poison;  briony  cured 
dropsy,  because  its  root  suggested  a  swollen  foot. 

The  estimate  of  plants  is  denoted  not  merely  in  their 
common  use  as  food  and  ornament,  but  in  the  adoption  of 

10 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

their  names  by  people,  civilized  and  other.  Until  the  god- 
dess Carna  was  invented,  Italy 's  soil  produced  no  vegetables 
without  men's  help,  excepting  spelt  and  beans;  hence  in 
her  particular  feasts  the  usual  offering  was  beans.  In  the 
Roman  courts  or  in  public  bodies  where  questions  were  put 
to  vote,  the  ancient  ballot  was  a  bean,  a  white  one  repre- 
senting innocence ;  a  black  one,  guilt.  Such,  then,  was  the 
importance  of  the  bean  that  we  need  feel  no  surprise  that 
one  of  the  foremost  families  in  Rome,  the  Fabians,  to  wit, 
should  have  taken  the  name  of  it.  The  Coepiones  of  that 
day  were  merely  the  Messrs.  Onion;  the  Pisones  were  the 
Peas;  Cicero  was  Mr.  Chick-pea;  the  Lentucini  were  the 
Lettuce  family.  To  this  day  we  have  in  like  wise,  among 
our  friends,  the  Pease,  Beans,  Pears,  Cherrysy  Berrys, 
Olives,  Coffeys,  Nutts,  Chestnuts,  Oakes,  Pines,  Birches, 
Roses,  Lillies,  and  Asters,  while  our  Indians,  excelling  us 
in  variety  and  fitness  of  names,  give  such  to  their  daughters 
as  Wild  Rose,  Budding  Poppy,  and  Bending  Lily.  And 
as  it  was  honorable  to  employ  the  name  of  a  plant,  a  tree, 
a  flower,  in  naming  a  dignified  family  of  a  dignified  race, 
it  came  about  easily  that  such  plant  or  tree  or  flower  was 
in  place  about  the  homes,  the  tombs  and  temples,  of  that 
family,  and  that  in  time  it  was  borne  upon  the  family 
coat-of-arms. 

Names  do  not  always  mark  resemblances,  for  they  are 
sometimes  freaks  of  accident  or  have  gone  astray  through 
wrong  spellings.  For  instance,  our  ** butter  and  eggs"  was 
originally  bubonium,  because  it  cured  buboes — then;  but 
a  slip  in  a  letter  made  it  bufonium,  and  as  hufo  is  toad, 
we  have  the  name  of  toad-flax,  which  means  nothing.  In 
like  manner,  Jerusalem  artichoke  was  twisted  into  girasole 
artichoke;  tansy  is  alleged  to  be  a  corruption  of  athanasia, 
or  immortality,  though  what  the  two  have  iri  common  no 
man  can  guess;  while  borage  is  a  mispronunciation  of 

11 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

courage,  for  that  (cor-ago:  I  bring  heart)  was  supposed  to 
be  heightened  by  drinking  decoctions  of  the  herb. 

When  the  doctrine  of  signatures  began  to  transcend  the 
visible  signs  written  on  the  flower  or  leaf,  it  widened  the 
possibilities  of  medical  practice  wonderfully.  Thus,  the  holy 
or  blessed  thistle  {carduus  henedictus),  at  first  a  cure  for 
itch,  became  by  force  of  its  blessed  state  a  sovereign  remedy 
for  sores,  vertigo,  jaundice,  bad  blood,  red  face,  red  nose,  tet- 
ter, ring-worm,  plague,  boils,  mad-dog  bite,  snake  poison,  deaf- 
ness, defective  memory,  and  other  ailments.  Another  va- 
riety of  the  plant,  the  ' '  melancholy  thistle, ' '  was  a  cure  for 
the  blues  if  taken  in  wine.  But  the  thistle  was  not  the 
only  blessed  plant,  by  any  means.  One  species  after  an- 
other developed  saintly  associations,  and  by  virtue  of  them 
became  a  cure  for  more  than  its  '^signature"  would  indi- 
cate. All  flowers  that  bear  the  name  of  lady  were  dedi- 
cated to  Our  Lady  the  Virgin.  Such  are  the  lady's  slipper, 
lady's  hand,  lady's  tresses,  lady's  smock,  lady's  mantle, 
lady's  bedstraw,  lady's  bower,  lady's  comb,  lady's  cushion, 
lady 's  finger,  lady 's  garters,  lady 's  hair,  lady 's  laces,  lady 's 
looking-glass,  lady's  seal,  lady's  thimble,  and  lady's  thumb. 
Beneficent  influences  exerted  by  plants  thus  fortunately 
named  or  associated  were  instanced  in  a  wider  crop  of  super- 
stitions than  had  grown  from  the  mystic  or  significant  mark- 
ings, but  the  sanctifying  of  plants  through  their  association 
with  saints  and  angels  was  no  new  thing  in  Christian  times. 
The  heathen  gods  had  their  floral  favorites,  and  the  first 
garland  was  culled  from  the  trees  of  heaven  by  the  Indian 
Venus,  Cri,  who  put  it  on  the  head  of  Indra's  elephant. 
The  animal,  intoxicated  with  the  perfume,  flung  the  wreath 
to  the  ground,  thereby  so  angering  Siva  that  he  cursed 
Indra  for  permitting  the  sacrilege  and  threw  him  to  the 
earth  also,  thus  condemning  him  to  lose  his  vigor,  and  all 
the  plants  on  earth  to  lose  eternal  life.    The  Greeks  and 

12 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Romans  planted  sacred  flowers  in  their  gardens,  those  espe- 
cially loved  by  the  Greeks  including  the  rose,  lily,  violet, 
anemone,  thyme,  melilot,  crocus,  chamomile,  smilax,  hya- 
cinth, narcissus,  chrysanthemum,  laurel,  myrtle,  and  mint. 
Laurel,  narcissus,  hyacinth,  myrtle,  cypress,  and  pine  were 
nymphs  or  youths  transformed  from  human  shape;  the 
mint  was  a  woman  whom  Pluto  loved;  the  mulberry  was 
stained  with  the  blood  of  lovers;  it  was  Lycurgus's  tears 
that  begot  the  cabbage.  The  plane  sprang  from  Diomede  's 
tomb.  The  rose-tinted  lotus  arose  from  the  blood  of  a  lion 
slain  by  Hadrian.  The  vine  sprang,  by  miracle,  near 
Olympia,  and  sports  and  ceremonies  incident  to  its  festivals 
in  early  Hellas  are  perpetuated  as  faint  memories  in  the 
use  of  the  eucharist  and  loving-cup. 

It  took  some  of  the  early  investigators  a  long  time  to 
overcome  their  repugnance  to  making  practical  use  of  plants 
associated  with  lengendary  harm  and  violence;  indeed, 
accurate  observation  of  the  remedial  effects  of  plant  juices 
and  decoctions  is  a  matter  of  recent  days,  although  we  find 
tokens  of  therapeutic  study  in  other  centuries.  The  rose- 
mary had  no  ** signature,"  but  we  discover  reason  in  its 
use,  whether  the  effects  agreed  with  the  allegement  or  not, 
in  that  it  was  prescribed  for  carrying  by  mourners  and 
attendants  at  funerals  two  hundred  years  ago,  the  odor 
being  hostile  to  the  **  morbid  effluvias"  of  the  corpse.  It 
was  also  burned  in  the  chambers  of  fever  patients.  So,  in 
time,  this  rose-of-Mary  (it  is  reaUy  ros  marinum)  because 
a  token  to  wear  in  remembrance  of  the  dead,  and  later  it  was 
prized  as  a  stimulant  to  all  memories. 

Poisons  appear  to  have  been  studied  almost  as  early  as 
simples.  Forbidden  things  of  the  dark  were  used  in  incan- 
tations, and  the  mysteries  of  diabolism  and  magic  could 
not  have  been  practised  without  vegetable  material.  Monks- 
hood was  used  to  breed  fever ;  deadly  nightshade  caused  the 

IS 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

eater  of  it  to  see  ghosts ;  henbane  threw  its  victim  into  con- 
vulsions ;  bittersweet  caused  skin  eruptions ;  meadow  saffron 
and  black  hellebore  racked  the  nerves  and  caused  their 
victim  to  swell  to  unsightly  proportions ;  briony  set  the  nose 
a-bleeding;  eyebright  sowed  seeds  of  rheumatism  in  the 
bones. 

Larger  and  finer  meanings  are  read  into  the  older 
legends  of  the  plants,  and  the  universality  of  certain  myths 
is  expressed  in  the  concurrence  of  ideas  in  the  beginnings 
of  the  great  religions.  One  of  the  first  figures  in  the  lead- 
ing cosmogonies  is  a  tree  of  life  guarded  by  a  serpent.  In 
the  Judaic  faith  this  was  the  tree  in  the  garden  of  Eden; 
the  Scandinavians  made  it  an  ash,  Ygdrasil;  Christians 
usually  specify  the  tree  as  an  apple,  Hindus  as  a  soma, 
Persians  as  a  homa,  Cambodians  as  a  talok ;  this  early  tree 
is  the  vine  of  Bacchus,  the  snake-entwined  caduceus  of  Mer- 
cury, the  twining  creeper  of  the  Eddas,  the  bohidruma  of 
Buddha,  the  fig  of  Isaiah,  the  tree  of  ^sculapius  with  the 
serpent  about  its  trunk.  These  trees  of  the  early  cosmog- 
onies are  not  all  actualities,  by  any  means.  There  is  no 
botanical  class  for  the  tree  of  Siberian  legend,  which  sprang 
up  without  branches.  God  caused  nine  limbs  to  shoot  from 
it,  and  nine  men  were  born  at  its  foot :  fathers  of  the  nine 
races.  Five  of  the  branches,  that  turned  toward  the  east, 
furnished  fruit  for  men  and  beasts,  but  the  fruits  that 
grew  on  the  four  western  branches  God  forbade  to  men,  and 
he  sent  a  dog  and  a  snake  to  guard  them.  While  the  snake 
slept,  Erlik,  the  tempter,  climbed  into  the  western  branches 
and  persuaded  Edji,  the  woman,  to  eat  the  forbidden  fruit. 
This  she  shared  with  her  husband,  Torongoi,  and  the  pair, 
realizing  their  guilt,  covered  themselves  with  skins  and  hid 
under  the  tree. 

These  relations  between  the  human  and  the  vegetable 
world  are  also  indicated  in  legends  of  curses  and  blessings, 

14 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

wherein  faiths  have  grown  from  incidents,  and  in  not  a  few 
of  these  instances  the  fortunes  of  men,  towns,  and  even 
dynasties  are  related  to  trees.  The  old  pear  of  the  Unster- 
berg,  for  instance,  would  signify  the  end  of  imperial  power 
by  withering,  and  when  the  German  empire  was  dissolved 
in  1806  it  ceased  to  blossom ;  but  in  1871  it  suddenly  woke 
to  life  and  bore  fruit. 

To  primitive  people  who  thus  symbolized  natural  phe- 
nomena, vegetable  life  was,  in  a  manner,  glorified,  because 
it  sustained  all  other  life.  The  tree  supplied  lumber,  fuel, 
house,  thatch,  cordage,  weapons,  boats,  shields,  and  tools, 
as  well  as  fruit  and  medicine. 

Everywhere  the  flowers  are  a  calendar  of  the  seasons, 
and  in  early  moral  codes  and  proverbs  the  tree  is  a  likeness 
of  strength  and  graciousness.  The  Brahmins  have  fitting 
metaphors  for  the  kindness  of  the  oak  in  shading  the  wood- 
man who  hacks  its  trunk,  and  of  the  sandalwood  that  re- 
sponds to  the  blow  of  the  ax  with  perfume,  the  meaning 
of  these  symbols  being  that  the  perfect  one  will  love  his 
enemies.  The  mystic  is  added  to  the  symbolic  through  the 
ages,  in  that  the  leaves  have  been  speaking  to  those  who 
listened.  The  palm,  stirring  in  the  wind,  spoke  to  Abraham 
in  language  that  he  translated  as  the  words  of  deity,  and 
Mahomet  commands  its  worship  as  the  tree  of  paradise,  the 
date  being  chief  of  the  fruits  of  the  world,  for  it  came  out 
of  heaven  with  wheat,  chief  of  foods,  and  myrtle,  chief  of 
perfumes. 


15 


EARLY   CHRISTIAN  LEGENDS 


A  THRONG  of  legends  bring  to  mind  Christ's  agony  and 
crucifixion,  and  some  of  them  are  betokened  in  usages  of 
the  present  day.  For  example,  it  is  believed  in  Austria 
that  hawthorn  and  blackthorn  were  the  materials  from 
which  the  wreath  of  torture  was  fashioned ;  hence  on  Good 
Friday  there  is  a  sport  of  retaliation  in  which  Christian 
l^oodlums  put  *' thorn  apples''  into  the  hair  of  little  Jews. 
The  veritable  crown  was  reported  by  the  faithful  to  have 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Baldwin,  who  gave  it  to  Saint 
Louis.  That  king  received  it  as  a  penitent,  barefooted  and 
clad  in  a  hair  shirt,  bore  it  to  Paris  in  splendor  and  solem- 
nity, and  built  that  perfect  piece  of  Gothic  architecture,  the 
Sainte  Chapelle,  as  a  casket  for  the  relic,  though  some  of 
the  thorns  have  been  given  to  other  churches,  and  they  have 
as  miraculously  multiplied  as  have  fragments  of  the  true 
cross.  The  hawthorn  is  so  covered  by  white  blossoms  in 
the  spring  that  its  long  spikes  are  hardly  seen,  but  they  are 
capable  of  inflicting  a  painful  wound.  On  the  way  to  Cal- 
vary a  bird  fluttered  down  to  the  head  of  the  Victim  and 
pulled  out  a  thorn  that  was  rankling  in  his  brow.  The 
sacred  blood  tinged  the  feathers  of  the  little  creature,  who 
has  worn  the  mark  since  that  day,  and  we  call  him  robin 
red-breast.  Hawthorn  often  flowers  in  a  mild  English 
winter,  and  the  famous  one  of  Glastonbury  habitually  puts 
forth  blossoms  at  Christmas;  at  least,  it  is  known  to  have 
been  in  bloom  on  Christmas  day  so  recently  as  1881.  This 
holy  thorn  is — or,  shall  we  say  in  our  doubting  time,  was — 
believed  to  have  been  carried  into  England  in  the  year  '31 
by  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  when  he  went  to  teach  Christianity 
to  the  Britons.    On  reaching  "Wearyall  Hill,  near  the  present 

16 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

town  of  Glastonbury,  he  struck  his  walking  staff  into  the 
earth  to  indicate  his  intention  to  abide  there ;  and  leaving 
it  thus,  with  its  end  in  the  soil,  the  sap  stirred  to  fresh  life, 
put  forth  leaves,  and  flourished  for  centuries,  a  noble  speci- 
men. Some  declared  that  it  bloomed  at  the  moment  when 
the  rod  was  forced  into  the  frozen  ground.  The  sale  of  its 
flowers,  twigs,  and  cuttings  brought  large  revenues  to  the 
monastery  that  was  built  near  the  scene  of  the  miracle. 
It  was  finally  destroyed  by  the  Puritans  as  a  reproof  of  the 
superstitions  charged  upon  the  followers  of  the  Roman 
church. 

Another  famous  hawthorn  is  that  of  Cawdor  Castle, 
scene  of  the  *' Macbeth''  tragedy.  The  first  thane  of  Caw- 
dor was  told  in  a  dream  to  load  an  ass  with  gold,  allow  it  to 
wander  free,  and  build  a  castle  where  it  stopped  to  rest. 
This  the  dreamer  did,  and  the  donkey  lay  down  under  a  haw- 
thorn. The  heavenly  injunction  was  so  implicitly  obeyed 
that  the  architect  built  the  first  tower  with  the  hawthorn  in 
the  centre,  and  its  aged  trunk  is  still  seen  in  the  dungeon, 
its  branches  penetrating  the  breaches  in  the  wall,  and  its 
root  extending  far  under  the  flagging.  Once  a  year  Lord 
Cawdor  assembles  his  guests  about  the  trunk,  and  they 
drink  health  to  the  hawthorn,  thereby  signifying  health  to 
the  house. 

Some  maintain  that  Christ's  crown  came  from  the 
acacia,  or  shittim  wood,  while  others  say  that  the  holly  was 
the  bush  from  which  the  crown  of  thorns  was  torn.  Indeed, 
the  name  of  the  latter  means  ''holy,"  and  it  was  only 
through  a  careless  shortening  of  the  vowel  that  it  came  to 
be  as  we  know  it.  The  use  of  this  plant  for  Christmas 
decoration  still  further  proves  this  association  with  Scrip- 
tural incident. 

The  purple  of  the  jack-in-the-pulpit  and  the  red  stain 
of  the  Belgian  rood  selken  mark  where  the  blood  of  the 
2  17 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

crucified  fell  in  the  hour  of  agony,  as  the  color  of  the  red 
bud,  or  Judas  tree,  tells  how  the  tree  burned  with  shame 
when  Judas  hanged  himself  upon  it.  Speedwell,  or  ger- 
mander speedwell,  is  in  the  botanies  disguised  as  veronica 
chamoedrys,  yet  in  that  name  is  a  token  of  its  history,  for 
on  the  way  to  Calvary  Christ  paused  for  a  moment  while 
Saint  Veronica  wiped  the  blood  and  sweat  from  his  face. 
The  cloth  she  used  in  this  ministration  was  stained  there- 
after with  a  miraculous  portrait  of  the  Saviour  a  vera 
ikoniha,  or  true  image;  whence,  Veronica.  Where  the 
blood  dropped  on  the  flowers  she  was  wearing,  they  shared 
in  the  sacred  impress,  and  so  they  took  her  name,  because 
they  are  thought  to  show  a  human  countenance  like  that 
upon  her  napkin. 

Cyclamen — *'cock  of  the  mountain,"  the  Arab  calls 
it — strange  flower  with  bent  back,  curved  petals,  and  crim- 
son eye  looking  down,  as  if  expectant  of  the  earth  to  yield 
treasure  to  it,  abounds  in  Holy  Land,  where  it  was  dedicated 
to  the  Virgin  because  the  sword  of  sorrow  that  pierced  her 
heart  is  symbolized  in  the  blood  drop  at  the  heart  of  this 
flower.  For  the  like  reason  it  was  also  known  as  the 
bleeding  nun. 

Other  legends  respecting  the  crucifixion  are  indicated 
in  the  name  of  ' '  blood  drops  of  Christ, ' '  as  applied  in  Pales- 
tine to  the  scarlet  anemone ;  in  the  selection  of  the  flowering 
almond  as  a  symbol  of  the  Virgin ;  in  the  repute  of  the  bul- 
rush, or  cat-tail,  that  it  was  the  sceptre  that  the  Jews  put 
into  the  hands  of  Christ  when  they  mocked  him  as  their 
king;  in  the  monkish  declaration  that  the  red  poppy  con- 
tains a  divine  revelation,  since  it  bears  the  cross  in  its 
centre ;  in  the  Canary  Islands  the  custom  of  cutting  bananas 
lengthwise  because  when  cut  across  they  show  the  symbol 
of  the  cruciflxion;  and  in  the  story  that  the  figs  of  the 
Cistercian  convent  in  Rome,  when  cut  through,  show  a  green 

18 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

cross  inlaid  on  a  white  pulp,  with  five  seeds  at  its  angles 
representing  the  five  wounds.  The  Rose  of  Sharon  is  also 
held  to  be  a  symbol  of  the  resurrection,  for  when  its  blos- 
soms fall  they  are  borne  by  the  wind  to  a  distant  place  there 
to  root  and  bloom  anew.  Vervain  {verbena  hastata),  once 
used  for  garlanding  the  poor  brutes  led  to  the  sacrifice 
in  Rome,  has  long  been  known  as  the  holy  herb.  The 
Greeks  so  called  it;  the  Druids  and  Romans  employed  it  in 
magical  and  mystic  ceremonies,  and  as  a  drug ;  hence  it  was 
easily  adapted  into  the  Christian  legends,  and  it  became  one 
of  the  crucifixion  flowers. 

Because  the  spurge  yields  a  milky  juice,  it  is  called  Vir- 
gin's  nipple,  though  we  lack  a  tradition  that  connects  the 
plant  with  any  word  or  act  of  the  Virgin.  The  white  lily 
as  well  as  the  hierochloa,  or  holy  grass,  is  sacred  to  her. 
** Madonna  lilies"  burst  into  bloom  on  Easter  dawn;  they 
put  forth  from  the  rod  of  St.  Joseph,  and  were  borne  by 
the  angel  of  the  annunciation.  Walking  in  the  garden  of 
Zacharias,  whither  she  often  repaired  to  meditate  on  the 
burden  laid  upon  her  as  the  bride  of  God,  the  Virgin 
touched  a  flower  which  till  then  had  exhaled  no  fragrance, 
but  at  that  contact  gave  forth  a  delightful  perfume.  This 
was  doubtless  the  lily.  A  careless  use  of  the  name  by  older 
writers  leaves  us  in  doubt  as  to  the  plant  referred  to  in  the 
sermon  on  the  mount. 

The  little  flower  we  call  Star  of  Bethlehem,  whose  bulb 
is  roasted  and  eaten  by  orientals,  is  part  of  that  very  light 
which  shone  in  the  heavens  at  the  birth  of  Christ :  for  after 
it  had  led  the  wise  men  and  shepherds  to  the  manger  it 
burst,  like  a  meteor,  scattering  acres  of  flowers  about  the 
fields.  It  was  as  if  it  had  been  drawn  from  the  glorious 
company  of  the  skies  by  the  great  glory  of  the  Babe. 
Joseph,  going  out  at  dawn,  gathered  handfuls  of  these  blos- 
soms from  the  wintry  earth,  and,  pouring  them  into  the 

19 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

lap  of  Mary,  said,  * '  See,  the  star  in  the  east  has  fallen  and 
borne  fruit  in  kind. ' ' 

Then,  there  is  hellebore,  otherwise  black  hellebore, 
Christmas  rose,  or  Christmas  flower.  This  was  held  in  esti- 
mation from  early  times,  though  it  was  believed  to  absorb 
its  ill  odor  from  the  sick.  The  Greeks  regarded  it  as  a 
remedy  for  madness,  and  in  sending  the  insane  to  Anticyra, 
where  it  abounds,  they  afforded  one  of  the  few  instances  of 
anything  like  attention  to  the  needs  of  the  suffering  and 
unfortunate  in  a  land  and  age  that  were  without  almshouses, 
hospitals,  and  asylums.  Down  to  the  time  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth it  was  the  hellebore  cured  melancholy,  and  the  Grer- 
mans,  who  connected  it  with  Huldah,  the  marriage  goddess, 
later  gave  to  it  the  name  of  Christmas  rose.  The  story  of 
its  birth  is  this:  On  the  night  when  heaven  sang  to  the 
shepherds  of  Bethlehem,  a  little  girl  followed  her  brothers, 
the  keepers  of  the  flocks,  under  guidance  of  the  light. 
When  she  saw  the  wise  men  gathered  at  the  inn,  offering 
vessels  of  gold  and  fabrics  of  silk  to  the  child  and  its  mother, 
she  hung  timidly  back  on  the  edge  of  the  crowd,  and  was 
sad  because  her  hands  were  empty ;  because  the  look  in  the 
face  of  the  babe  had  filled  her  with  admiration  and  wonder, 
and  she  wished  to  testify  her  love.  She  had  no  goods,  no 
money  to  buy  them,  so  after  a  little  she  turned  away  toward 
the  silent  hills.  But  when  she  had  gone  back  to  her  flocks, 
at  the  border  of  the  desert,  under  the  lonely  stars,  a  light 
suddenly  shone  about  her,  and  behold,  one  of  the  announc- 
ing angels — a  glorious  creature  whose  robe  was  like  molten 
silver,  whose  locks  were  as  the  sun.  *' Little  one,  why  do 
you  carry  sorrow  in  your  heart  ?  "  he  asked. 

''Because  I  could  carry  no  joy  to  the  child  of  Bethle- 
hem," she  answered. 

With  a  smile  the  spirit  waved  a  lily  that  he  carried,  and 
suddenly  the  ground  was  white  with  Christmas  roses.     The 

20 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

girl  knelt  with  a  joyous  cry,  filled  her  arms  with  the 
flowers,  and  hastened  to  the  village,  where  the  people  made 
way  for  her,  looking  with  wonder  on  the  burden  she  bore 
that  winter  night.  As  she  reached  the  manger  the  holy 
one,  turning  from  the  gems  and  gold  of  the  magi,  reached 
forth  his  tiny  hands  for  the  blossoms,  and  smiled  as  the 
shepherdess  heaped  them  at  his  feet. 

The  chrysanthemum,  which  was  born  at  the  same  time 
as  the  babe  of  Bhethlehem,  was  the  token  to  the  wise  men 
that  they  had  reached  the  spot  whither  the  star  had  bidden 
them;  for,  searching  along  the  narrow  ways  of  the  village 
toward  the  fall  of  night,  these  rulers  of  tribes  and  ex- 
pounders of  doctrine  wondered  greatly  what  should  be 
disclosed  to  them.  There  was  no  excitement  among  the 
people,  to  denote  a  strange  event ;  there  were  no  welcoming 
sounds  of  music,  dancing,  or  the  feast;  all  was  silent  and 
gloomy,  when  at  a  word  from  King  Malcher,  the  caravan 
stood  still.  *'  It  is  the  place,"  he  cried,  **  for  look!  Here 
is  a  flower,  rayed  like  the  star  that  has  guided  us,  and  which 
is  even  now  hanging  above  our  heads.'' 

As  Malcher  bent  and  picked  it,  the  stable  door  opened 
of  itself  and  the  pilgrims  entered  in.  Malcher  placed  the 
chrysanthemum  in  the  hand  extended  to  receive  it — ^the 
hand  of  a  little,  new-born  babe — and  all  went  to  their  knees 
before  the  shining  presence,  bearing  as  a  sceptre  the  winter 
flower,  white  likeness  of  the  guide  star. 

Cacti  are  of  power  over  witches,  and  that  queer  speci- 
men of  the  race,  the  ''old  man,"  with  its  long  gray  spines 
like  hair,  is  to  the  Mexican  the  soul  of  a  baptized  Christian, 
hence  not  to  be  touched  by  unclean  hands. 


21 


FAIRY  FLOWERS 


Flowers  were  as  naturally  associated  with  fairies  as 
with  sunshine,  moonbeams,  and  other  bright,  beautiful,  or 
tricksy  things.  The  ''little  people'^  hid  in  flowers,  made 
their  cloaks  of  petals,  their  crowns  of  stamens,  their  darts 
of  thorns,  their  cradles  of  lilies,  their  seats  of  fungi.  As 
the  burly  gods  of  the  Norsemen  and  the  majestic  deities  of 
Greece  represented  nature  as  force,  so  the  fairies  personated 
nature's  gentler,  daintier  attributes.  They  were  the  souls 
of  the  flowers,  mischievous  when  the  flowers  exhaled  a 
poison ;  beneficent  when  the  flowers  were  wholesome. 

The  mottlings  of  the  cowslip  and  the  foxglove,  like  the 
spots  on  butterfly  wings  and  on  the  tails  of  pheasants  and 
peacocks,  mark  where  elves  have  placed  their  fingers.  On 
the  foxglove  these  marks  are  dull  and  threatening,  deno- 
tive  of  the  baneful  juices  that  the  plant  secretes,  and  which 
as  digitalis  (digitus:  a  finger)  we  turn  to  account  in  our 
pharmacopoeia.  This  evil  quality  gives  to  it  the  name  of 
dead-man 's-thimbles  in  Ireland,  and  its  patches  are  held 
to  resemble  those  on  the  skins  of  venomed  snakes.  In 
Wales,  the  plant  is  known  as  the  fairy  glove,  but  it  is 
Virgin's  glove  or  ** gloves  of  our  Lady"  in  France,  while 
in  old  English  herbals  it  is  witch's  glove,  fairy  thimble, 
fairy's  cap,  folk's  glove;  yet  in  Norway  Reynard  claims  it 
again,  for  there  it  is  fox  bell.  A  legend  of  the  North  is  that 
bad  fairies  gave  these  blossoms  to  the  fox,  that  he  might  put 
them  on  his  toes  to  soften  his  tread  when  he  prowled  among 
the  roosts. 

The  anemone  is  a  fairy  shelter,  curling  up  as  night  or 
storm  approaches,  and  thus  protecting  its  occupant,  but  the 
wee  creatures  sit  oftener  in  the  cowslip  cups,  and  those 
human  and  undoubting  souls  that  can  listen  at  such  a  time 
with  the  ear  of  childhood  hear  a  fine,  high  music,  like 
a  harmonized  hum  of  bees.     This  oftenest  comes  from  the 

22 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

flowers  when  the  sun  is  shining  on  them.  In  England  the 
cowslip  used  to  be  the  key  flower,  or  key  wort,  or  St. 
Peter's  wort,  because  the  umbel  is  supposed  to  resemble 
the  bunch  of  keys  carried  by  St.  Peter ;  indeed,  the  Germans 
still  call  it  the  key  of  heaven. 

Fairies  protect  the  stitchwort,  and  it  must  not  be  gath- 
ered, or  the  offender  will  be  *' fairy  led"  into  swamps  and 
thickets  at  night.  One  of  the  oddest  of  beliefs  is  that  St. 
Johnswort  and  ragwort  are  a  day  disguise  of  fairy  horses. 
If  you  tread  them  down  after  sunset  a  horse  will  arise  from 
the  root  of  each  injured  plant  and  that  night  will  gallop 
about  with  you,  leaving  you  at  dawn  either  at  home  or  far 
abroad,  as  it  may  happen.  They  have  a  kinder  plant  in 
China,  although  it  bears  the  name  of  sin ;  for,  being  eaten, 
it  changes  a  man  to  a  fairy  and  gives  him  a  long  lease  of 
youth. 

England  has  a  fungus  known  as  fairy  butter,  and  our 
country  has  fairy  rings  of  toadstools  and  coarse  grass  that 
spring  in  the  footsteps  of  the  sprites  as  they  dance.  The 
fruit  of  the  mallow  is  fairy  cheese,  toadstools  are  fairy 
tables,  and  the  tiny  cup  fungi,  like  nests  with  eggs,  are  fairy 
purses.  Our  elm  is  elven,  or  elf  tree,  and  fayberry  is  a 
name  still  extant  for  gooseberry.  In  Denmark  a  fairy  is 
an  elle,  and  elle-campane  and  elle-tree,  or  alder,  are  favorites 
with  the  *  kittle  people."  Should  you  stand  beneath  an 
alder  at  midnight  on  midsummer  eve,  you  may  see  the  king 
of  the  elles,  or  elves,  go  by  with  all  his  court.  The  alder 
has  understanding,  too,  and  will  weep  blood  if  it  hears  talk 
of  cutting  it  down. 

Originally  the  alder  and  the  willow  were  two  fishermen 
who  refused  to  spare  time  from  their  labors  to  join  in  the 
worship  of  Pales,  whereupon  the  goddess  turned  them  into 
those  two  trees,  and  to  this  day  they  haunt  the  banks  of 
streams,  leaning  over  them  as  if  watching  for  fish,  and  the 
willow  letting  down  its  lines  into  the  water. 

28 


NARCOTICS  AND   STIMULANTS 


We  who  eat  and  wear  and  smoke  the  plants  and  drink 
their  sap  and  juices  find  in  them  not  only  sustenance  and 
shelter,  but  dreams,  medicine,  and  death;  the  sharpening 
and  dulling  of  our  nerves ;  support  for  the  weak  and  refresh- 
ment for  the  fainting.  We  find,  moreover,  oblivion  and  in- 
spiration, so  frail  an  instrument  is  this  whereby  we  move 
and  think,  and  so  obedient  to  suggestions  from  without. 
There  are  persons  so  sensitive  that  a  breath  of  air  blowing 
from  poison  ivy  will  cause  them  to  break  out  in  an  unseemly 
manner,  though  we  are  told  that  Indians  make  themselves 
immune  to  its  outward  poison  by  the  occasional  eating  of  its 
leaf.  Out  of  the  visions  created  by  the  action  of  drugs  on 
the  brain  or  nervous  centres  have  come  not  merely  the  conse- 
cration of  plants  themselves,  but  the  growth  of  religious 
practices  and  beliefs.  We  find  in  nearly  all  cosmogonies 
a  recognition  of  the  tree,  and  at  this  day  among  savage 
tribes  vegetable  life  is  exalted,  as  is  that  of  humanity  and 
the  animals,  in  rites,  observances,  and  faiths.  The  use  of 
plants  among  priests  and  mediciae  men  indicates  their 
remedial  value  in  disease,  and  whatever  confers  health  or 
happiness  is  by  implication  heavenly  in  its  origin.  It  is 
an  article  of  savage  faith  that  certain  of  these  plants  are 
universal  in  their  power,  though  we  may  doubt  if  serpents 
eat  fennel  to  sharpen  their  sight,  or  hawks  eat  hawkweed  for 
the  same  purpose.  It  is  a  fact,  however,  that  cats,  dogs, 
and  other  carnivorae  resort  to  herbs  as  medicines  and  stimu- 
lants. 

The  mescal  {anhalonium  Lewini)  is  a  variety  of  cactus 
that  grows  in  the  desert  all  the  way  from  Oklahoma  to 
Mexico,  and  from  it  the  aborigines  gather  the  bean  or  button 

24 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

which,  in  Moqui  phrase,  enables  man  to  commune  with  God. 
The  plant  is  revered  in  the  same  manner  as  is  the  rattle- 
snake who  bears  away  the  prayer  for  rain  after  the  snake 
dance.  Mescal  produces  on  the  optic  nerve  something  of 
the  same  effect  as  rubbing  the  eyes.  In  spite  of  govern- 
mental and  scientific  objection,  it  continues  to  be  used,  and 
apparently  causes  a  local  inflamimation  or  congestion  which 
reflects  itself  in  a  sense  of  bright  colors  in  kaleidoscopic 
patterns  and  shifting  clouds.  To  obtain  these  consolations, 
the  bean  is  swallowed,  and  the  colors  sometimes  take  on 
fantastic  shapes  wherein  one  reads  prophecy. 

Few,  if  any,  races  have  escaped  the  influence  of  narcotics 
and  stimulants,  and,  inconsistent  though  it  seem,  those  who 
do  with  the  least  of  them  are  not  the  most  progressive 
peoples.  The  Chinese  smoke  opium,  it  is  true,  and  the 
Indians  tobacco,  but  civilized  man  has  accustomed  himself 
to  opium,  tobacco,  wine,  tea,  coffee,  and  cocaine.  The 
use  of  plants  that  estranged  the  senses  from  their  sane 
functioning  accounts  for  not  a  few  religious  practices. 
The  Druids  made  their  altars  under  the  oak  because  that 
tree  inspired  to  prophecy.  Brahmins  drink  soma,  the 
juice  of  asclepias  acida,  to  obtain  second  sight,  for  it  is  "  the 
essence  of  all  nourishment. '  *  The  Delphic  oracle  ate  laurel 
leaves,  sacred  to  Apollo,  to  hasten  the  toxic  effect  of  the 
volcanic  gases  which  ascended  the  cleft  where  the  sacred 
tripod  was  placed.  Prophets  slept  on  beds  of  laurel,  also, 
as  certain  dream  interpreters  among  the  Russian  peasantry 
sleep  on  beds  of  ** dream  herb,''  or  Pulsatilla  pateus,  for  a 
like  purpose. 

Among  stimulants  or  irritants,  not  many  of  us  would 
include  the  pretty  yarrow,  or  milfoil,  of  our  waysides, 
with  its  delicately  fragrant  and  finely  divided  leaf,  yet  its 
other  name  of  field  hop  points  to  its  former  use  in  beer,  and 
the  drink  made  from  it  is  said  to  be  more  devastating  than 

25 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  ordinary  kind.  In  the  Orkneys  it  is  both  a  tea  and  a 
cure  for  melancholy,  while  in  Scotland  it  is  a  salve.  In 
Switzerland  it  sharpens  vinegar,  and  in  some  other  countries 
it  is  "old  man's  pepper'*  and  cures  toothache.  Its  botani- 
cal name  of  achillea  records  its  use  by  Achilles  in  healing 
the  wounds  of  his  soldiers. 

Tobacco  was  known  to  our  Indians  before  white  men  ever 
heard  of  it,  and  they  smoked  it  both  for  pleasure  and  as  a 
ratification  of  contracts  for  centuries  before  the  landing  of 
Columbus.  The  first  pipe  was  a  tobago,  or  double  roll  of 
bark,  placed  at  the  nostrils  and  held  over  a  bunch  of  the 
burning  leaf,  but  the  men  of  the  north  have  had  their  stone 
pipes  for  a  thousand  years,  no  doubt,  and  they  were  shaped 
from  the  sacred  rock  at  the  command  of  the  Great  Spirit, 
who  ordained  the  ceremonial  of  smoking  in  confirmation 
of  brotherhood,  the  pipe  passing  from  mouth  to  mouth  as 
the  loving  cup  passes  at  our  tables. 

Smoking  suggests  coffee,  without  which  it  is  hardly 
worth  while.  Coffee  grew  in  Arabia  for  ages  before  it  was 
the  good  fortune  of  the  dervish  Hadji  Omar  to  discover  it. 
This  happened  in  1285.  He  had  been  driven  into  exile  from 
Mocha  because  of  his  attempts  to  establish  the  strange  cus- 
tom of  honesty  among  its  governors,  and  in  the  extremity 
of  his  hunger  he  ravened  upon  coffee  berries  that  were 
growing  wild  in  the  environs.  They  were  pretty  bad,  so 
in  the  hope  of  softening  their  acerbity  he  tried  the  experi- 
ment of  roasting  them.  This  made  them  more  tolerable, 
and  they  yielded  a  pleasant  savor  and  an  entrancing  smell, 
but  they  were  viciously  hard.  Hadji  then  boiled  them  in 
water,  and  they  became  more  nearly  edible,  but  the  water 
was  the  best  part  of  them.  By  eating  and  drinking  of  the 
coffee,  he  did  not  satisfy  his  appetite,  yet  he  so  effectually 
suppressed  it  that  it  was  the  next  thing  to  having  dined. 
Here,  then,  was  a  discovery!     He  hurried  back  to  inform 

26 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  public  of  it,  trusting  to  be  forgiven  for  his  reforms. 
And  he  was  not  only  forgiven,  but  was  promoted  to  be  a 
saint.  It  took  centuries  to  introduce  the  berry  to  a  wider 
circle  of  admirers,  for  even  in  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century  it  was  disapproved  by  the  priesthood  of  Constanti- 
nople, who  said  that  the  habit  of  idling  over  the  coffee- 
cups  was  taking  worshippers  from  the  mosques,  and  that 
the  coals  on  which  the  beans  were  roasted  were  the  coals  of 
hell.  An  enemy  of  coffee  declares  that  its  introduction 
to  the  world  of  men  was  made  when  an  Arab  herder  in  the 
fifth  century  discovered  that  his  goats,  having  ignorantly 
eaten  it,  were  cutting  capers  like  those  possessed  of  devils. 
He  tried  the  berries  himself,  found  they  were  a  slow  poison, 
introduced  them  delightedly  to  his  *' system,"  and  so  died, 
beloved  and  indorsed  by  millions. 

Tea  has  left  its  record  on  American  history,  for  who 
knows  if  the  Revolution  would  have  revolved  without  the 
Boston  tea  party?  In  the  want  of  the  herb  the  Yankee 
housewife  solaced  herself  with  substitutes  derived  from  cat- 
nip, nettles,  tansy,  and  other  doubtful  plants,  and  although 
she  sternly  refused  to  accept  an  article  unjustly  taxed,  there 
is  no  doubt  that  she  sighed  for  the  better  fortunes  of  her 
English  sisters  and  brothers.  In  an  old  commendation, 
tea  * '  easeth  the  brain  of  heavy  damps ;  prevents  the  dropsie ; 
consumes  rawnesse ;  vanquishes  superfluous  sleep ;  purifieth 
humors  and  hot  liver;  strengthens  the  use  of  due  benevo- 
lence. ' ' 

In  Okakura  Kakuzo's  ''Book  of  Tea'*  we  discover  that 
the  brewings  of  the  herb  are  more  than  a  stomachic  com- 
fort: they  have  spiritual  importance,  and  there  is  even  a 
**teaism,"  ''founded  on  adoration  of  the  beautiful  among 
the  sordid  facts  of  every-day  existence."  The  leaves  were 
formerly  powdered  before  being  placed  in  the  water,  and 
some  heavy-handed  cooks  crushed  them  in  a  mortar,  worked 

27 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

them  into  cakes,  boiled  them  with  spices,  ginger,  salt,  orange 
peel,  milk,  rice,  and  onions!  In  the  Cha-king,  or  holy- 
scripture  of  tea,  a  book  of  three  volumes,  we  learn  that  the 
best  leaves  must  be  wrinkled  like  a  Tartar's  boots,  curled 
like  a  bull's  dewlap,  must  unfold  like  mist  from  a  valley, 
shine  like  a  lake  in  the  breeze,  and  in  dampness  and  softness 
suggest  the  earth  refreshed  by  rain.  Another  poet  describes 
the  effect  of  his  various  drafts:  the  first  cup  moistens  his 
throat;  the  second  relieves  his  loneliness;  the  third  revives 
memories  of  books  and  stimulates  him  to  write  them;  the 
fourth  causes  a  sweat  in  which  all  that  is  wrong  in  life 
passes  out  at  the  pores ;  the  fifth  completes  the  purification ; 
the  sixth  summons  him  to  the  gods,  and  the  seventh  wafts 
him  into  their  presence.  The  Japanese  tea-room  is  kept 
bare  and  simple,  that  the  fancy,  liberated  by  the  draft,  may 
not  be  arrested  from  its  flights  by  the  intrusion  of  unim- 
portant objects. 


28 


PLANTS   OF  ILL  RENOWN 


There  was  once  in  the  middle  of  Java  a  certain  tree 
that  dripped  and  breathed  poison,  destroying  animal  and 
vegetable  life  for  miles  around.  Even  the  birds  fell  dead 
when  flying  past.  It  stood  alone  in  a  valley  which  it  filled 
with  vapors,  and  all  about  it  the  earth  was  covered  with  the 
skeletons  of  men  and  animals  that  had  strayed  into  the 
neighborhood.  This  famous  upas  tree  (upas  is  Malay  for 
poison)  was  the  only  one  in  existence,  but  the  name  is  still 
applied  to  a  tree  of  the  same  order  as  the  breadfruit  and 
mulberry.  Its  juices,  mixed  with  pepper  and  ginger,  are 
smeared  upon  arrows  to  make  them  irritating,  and  its  bark 
yields  a  fibre  used  in  native  cloth  which  will  cause  itching 
unless  it  is  soundly  washed  before  wearing.  On  so  slight 
a  basis  was  the  legend  of  the  upas  reared. 

Allied  to  the  dreadful  tree  of  Java  is  the  rattlesnake 
bush  of  Mexico,  with  its  venomous  thorns.  From  this  arose 
a  story  of  a  tree  of  serpents  that  wound  its  arms  about 
men  and  animals  that  tried  to  pass,  and  stung  and  strangled 
them  to  death.  Nearly  as  vexatious  is  the  kerzra  flower,  of 
Persia,  for  if  you  so  much  as  breathe  the  air  that  has  passed 
over  it  you  must  die.  Nor  is  the  manchineel  an  object  of 
fond  regard,  inasmuch  as  death  comes  to  any  that  shall 
rest  beneath  its  branches  and  suffer  themselves  to  sink  into 
the  sleep  that  its  exhalations  will  induce. 

Trees  usually  bring  luck  to  their  owners,  but  the  walnut 
is  an  exception.  It  is  thought  to  kill  vegetation  near  it, 
and  to  bear  especial  enmity  to  the  oak.  Paschal  II  hewed 
down  a  walnut  in  Rome  because  he  discovered  that  the  evil 
soul  of  Nero  was  living  in  its  branches,  and  after  the  de- 
struction of  the  tree  the  Church  of  the  People  was  built 

29 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

upon  its  site  as  a  security  against  the  demon.  Thus  it 
appears  that  the  wakiut  is  hospitable  to  wicked  spirits. 
By  some  similar  token,  the  yew  was  long  thought  to  be 
dangerous  to  life  and  health,  although  thousands  of  men 
made  bows  from  its  wood  and  carried  them  without  hurt 
except  to  other  people. 

While  the  powers  of  good  control  various  of  the  plants, 
others  are  under  spell  of  evil  creatures  who  work  their  will 
by  poisons,  but  who  also  show  themselves  to  those  they 
would  afflict.  Belladonna  is  so  beloved  of  the  Devil  that 
he  goes  about  trimming  and  tending  it  in  his  not  abundant 
leisure.  He  can  be  diverted  from  its  care  on  only  one 
night  in  the  year,  and  that  is  Walpurgis,  when  he  is  pre- 
paring for  the  witches'  sabbat.  If  on  that  night  a  farmer 
looses  a  black  hen  the  Devil  will  chase  it,  and  the  watchful 
farmer,  suddenly  darting  on  the  plant,  may  pluck  and  put 
the  weed  to  its  rightful  use ;  for  by  rubbing  his  horse  with 
it  the  animal  gains  strength,  provided  the  herb  is  gained 
in  the  way  here  indicated.  The  apples  of  Sodom  are  held 
to  be  related  to  this  plant,  and  the  name  belladonna,  or 
beautiful  lady,  records  an  old  superstition  that  at  certain 
times  it  takes  the  form  of  an  enchantress  of  exceeding  love- 
liness, whom  it  is  dangerous  to  look  upon. 

We  may  dismiss  as  mythical  the  travelled  tale  of  a 
Venus  fly-trap  which  was  magnified  into  quite  another  mat- 
ter before  Captain  Arkright  was  through  with  it,  for  such 
tales  grow  larger  the  farther  they  go  from  their  beginning. 
It  was  in  1581  that  the  valiant  explorer  learned  of  an  atoll 
in  the  South  Pacific  that  one  might  not  visit,  save  on  peril 
of  his  life,  for  this  coral  ring  inclosed  a  group  of  islets  on 
one  of  which  the  Death  Flower  grew;  hence  it  was  named 
El  Banoor,  or  Island  of  Death.  This  flower  was  so  large 
that  a  man  might  enter  it — a  cave  of  color  and  perfume — 
but  if  he  did  so  it  was  the  last  of  him,  for,  lulled  by  its 

SO 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

strange  fragrance,  he  reclined  on  its  lower  petals  and  fell 
into  the  sleep  from  which  there  is  no  waking.  Then,  as  if 
to  guard  his  slumber,  the  flower  slowly  folded  its  petals 
about  him.  The  fragrance  increased  and  burning  acid 
was  distilled  from  its  calyx,  but  of  all  hurt  the  victim  was 
unconscious,  and  so  passing  into  death  through  splendid 
dreams,  he  gave  his  body  to  the  plant  for  food. 

Dreads  such  as  are  recorded  in  this  narrative  extended  to 
the  humblest  forms  of  vegetation,  and  our  uncanny  fungi 
have  not  escaped  the  ascription  of  many  evils.  True,  their 
reputation  for  poisoning  is  in  part  deserved,  though  there 
are  more  beneficent  mushrooms  than  mischievous,  and,  as 
Hamilton  Gibson  proved,  hundreds  of  tons  of  wholesome 
food  go  to  daily  waste  in  our  fields  for  lack  of  knowledge 
among  the  people  to  recognize  the  edible  varieties  or  to  know 
when  to  gather  and  how  to  cook  them.  The  common  puff- 
ball  is  ripe  for  the  kitchen  while  it  is  in  its  white  state, 
for  instance,  but  is  past  eating  when  it  has  turned  leathery 
and  throws  out  its  gust  of  *' smoke"  or  spores  when  trodden. 
A  giant  puff-ball  is  reported  which  held  food  for  at  least 
one  family,  inasmuch  as  it  weighed  forty-seven  pounds  and 
was  three  feet  thick !  It  is  the  threads  of  old  puff-balls  that 
supplied  our  grandfathers  with  tinder  in  the  days  when 
fire  was  started  with  flint  and  steel,  and  their  dust  was  also 
used  to  stop  blood  flow,  as  some  use  cobwebs  in  emergencies 
to-day.  Punk,  in  use  on  our  Fourth  of  July,  is  also  made 
from  fungus.  In  parts  of  England  the  puff-ball  is  Puck's 
stool  and  Puck's  fists,  and  some  etymologists  identify  Puck 
with  pogge,  or  toad. 

Why  are  toadstools  so  named?  Surely  none  ever  saw 
a  toad  seated  on  one  of  them.  The  stools  are  apt  to  be 
kicked  to  pieces  by  the  peasantry,  especially  if  they  are 
found  growing  in  pixie  rings,  for  then  they  surely  shelter 
elves;  and  if  an  elf  peers  at  you  then  quinine  should  be 

SI 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

taken,  for  you  are  ''due  to  come  down  with  fever."  If  it 
is  a  cow  that  is  looked  at  by  the  elf,  she  is  thenceforth 
bewitched,  and  will  give  sour  milk,  or  discover  a  disposition 
to  dance  and  turn  somersaults.  These  pixie  rings  are 
merely  growths  spreading  centrif  ugally  and  sometimes  over- 
lapping. As  grass  inside  the  rings  is  shadowed  by  the 
fungi  and  loses  a  measure  of  its  sustenance  to  them,  the 
country  folk  ascribe  the  bare  appearance  of  the  sod  to  the 
dancing  of  the  elves.  The  rings  disappear  in  three  or  four 
years,  and  then  it  is  said  that  the  fairies  have  taken  offense 
and  gone  elsewhere.  The  spores  dropping  from  the  parent 
plant  exhaust  the  soil  as  they  take  root,  and  for  that  reason 
the  growth  is  outward,  not  inward,  the  circles  constantly 
widening  toward  new  feeding  grounds.  The  low  form  of 
life  known  as  lichen  spreads  in  a  similar  manner. 

It  is  the  purple  streaks  on  its  stem  rather  than  the  scathe 
in  its  juice  that  gives  a  bad  name  to  water  hemlock — 
the  plant  that  put  Socrates  to  death — for  these  streaks  are 
copies  of  the  brand  put  on  Cain's  brow  when  he  had  com- 
mitted murder.  The  plant  bears  the  names  of  spotted  cow- 
bane,  musquash  root  and  beaver  poison,  in  America,  and 
is  related  to  carrot,  parsnip,  parsley,  fennel,  caraway, 
celery,  coriander,  and  sweet  cicely,  the  latter  also  unwhole- 
some. 

Jack-in-the-pulpit,  or  Indian  turnip,  known  in  England 
as  lords-and-ladies,  is  another  plant  from  which  it  was 
wise  to  keep  a  distance.  Its  name,  ariscema  triphyllum, 
signifies  bloody  arum,  because  its  spathe  is  purple  where 
Christ's  blood  fell  upon  it  at  the  crucifixion. 

In  our  own  country  the  laurel  or  kalmia  was  regarded 
with  such  dislike  that  people  were  warned  against  eating  the 
flesh  of  birds  that  had  fed  on  its  berries.  Even  worse  than 
laurel  is  the  savin,  called  likewise  magician's  cypress  and 
devil's  tree,  because  it  was  used  by  wizards  in  some  of  their 

32 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

most  sinful  ceremonies.  Our  common  milkwort,  polygala 
vulgaris,  is  beneficent,  and  increases  the  milk  of  mothers 
who  carry  it  in  procession  or  wear  it  as  a  garland  in  Roga- 
tion week;  but  the  Javanese  variety,  polygala  venanta,  is 
a  dreadful  herb,  inasmuch  as  the  native  who  touches  it  must 
sneeze  himself  to  death.  Another  plant  of  fell  property  is 
the  garget  or  poke,  although  its  young  shoots  are  boiled  and 
eaten  like  asparagus,  and  its  tincture  is  administered  for 
rheumatism  by  granny  doctors. 

The  catalogue  of  roadside  mischiefs  would  be  incomplete 
without  the  henbane — bane  of  hens — or  hog's  bean,  whose 
scientific  mask  is  hyoscyamus,  and  which  is  held  to  be  of 
so  evil  an  aspect,  with  its  woolly  leaves  and  unsanctified- 
looking  flowers,  that  one  hardly  needs  to  be  warned  from  it. 
Witches  use  this  in  their  midnight  stews,  and  the  dead  in 
hades  are  crowned  with  it  as  they  wander  hopelessly  be- 
side the  Styx. 


S3 


FLOWERS,  TREES,  FRUITS  AND  PLANTS 


ACACIA 

Our  locust  tree,  the  blossoms  of  which  exhale  ravishing 
odors  in  the  spring,  is  the  American  variety  of  acacia,  the 
''incorruptible  wood'*  of  which  was  made  the  ark  of  the 
covenant  and  the  altar  of  the  tabernacle.  It  also  pro- 
vided thorns  for  the  crown  of  Christ.  The  Buddhist,  to 
whom  it  is  sacred,  burns  its  wood  on  his  altars ;  and  a  species 
of  it,  known  as  the  sami,  is  used  by  Hindus  in  the  cere- 
monial begetting  of  fire  for  sacrifices. 

A  folk-tale  of  the  nineteenth  Egyptian  dynasty  is  almost 
identical  with  a  legend  of  our  Arapaho  Indians,  except  that 
in  the  American  story  a  blue  feather  replaces  the  acacia. 
The  Egyptian  narrative  is  as  follows : 

Bata,  a  predecessor  of  Joseph,  is  loved  by  the  wife  of 
his  elder  brother,  but  he  will  none  of  her,  so,  enraged,  she 
tells  her  husband,  Anpu,  that  Bata  has  attempted  violence 
toward  her.  Bata  proves  his  innocence,  but  he  can  no 
longer  find  comfort  in  his  old  home,  so  he  mutilates  him- 
self and  departs,  leaving  Anpu  to  mourn  his  loss  and  kill 
the  deceitful  woman. 

Reaching  the  valley  of  the  acacia,  Bata  removes  his  soul 
and  places  it  in  the  topmost  flower  of  that  plant  for  safe- 
keeping. The  gods  pity  the  young  exile,  and  the  Sun  orders 
that  a  mate  be  made  for  him,  ''more  beautiful  in  her  limbs 
than  any  other  woman  in  the  land. ' '  Bata  is  comforted  in 
her  society,  but  tells  her  that  while  he  is  hunting  she  must 
keep  to  the  house.  She  does  not  obey,  but  in  his  absence 
walks  by  the  shore.  The  Sea  reaches  after  her,  roaring  to 
the  acacia  to  detain  her;  but  the  most  the  tree  can  do  is 
to  lower  a  branch  and  tear  out  a  lock  of  her  hair,  which  it 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS*  ETC. 

drops  into  the  sea.  This  floats  to  the  Egyptian  shore,  where 
they  are  washing  Pharaoh's  linen.  The  perfume  of  acacia 
blossoms,  clinging  to  the  hair,  so  sweetens  the  Nile  waters 
that  it  is  imparted  to  the  garments,  and  the  King  asks  its 
origin.  A  priest  tells  him  that  the  fragrance  comes  from 
the  hair  of  a  daughter  of  the  gods.  In  his  eagerness  to  know 
her,  Pharaoh  sends  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Bata  slays 
all  but  one  of  the  invaders  of  the  acacia  valley,  but  this  one 
brings  a  larger  force  and  abducts  the  woman.  She  is  will- 
ing, and  asks  Pharaoh  to  destroy  the  tree  on  which  her 
husband's  soul  is  concealed.  The  king  sends  another  troop 
into  Bata 's  land,  and  the  tree  is  cut  down.  Bata  falls  dead. 
Far  away,  Anpu,  sitting  at  his  meat,  calls  for  a  pot  of 
beer.  It  foams  and  boils.  He  calls  for  wine,  but  that  is 
foul.  By  these  signs  he  knows  that  his  brother  is  dead, 
and  he  sets  off  for  the  acacia  valley,  to  recover  his  soul,  if 
possible.  The  body  is  there,  but  the  tree  that  guarded  the 
soul  is  gone.  After  a  three-years'  search,  he  discovers  the 
seed-pod  of  an  acacia,  and  in  the  hope  that  it  may  contain 
his  brother's  spirit,  he  puts  it  into  a  cup  of  water.  The 
thirsty  soul  drinks  until  no  drop  is  left.  Then  Anpu  fills 
the  cup  again  and  puts  it  to  the  lips  of  his  dead  brother, 
whose  limbs  had  shaken  as  the  seed-pod  absorbed  the  water. 
The  corpse  drinks  eagerly,  then  stands  erect  again — a  man. 
He  goes  to  Pharaoh,  sends  away  his  wife,  and  on  the  king's 
death  reigns  for  thirty  years,  being  succeeded  by  Anpu. 

ACANTHUS 

The  acanthus  has  been  immortalized  in  architecture  by 
the  Corinthian  column,  the  capital  of  which  is  a  free  copy 
of  its  leaves.     Its  use  was  suggested  in  this  manner: 

A  little  girl  of  Corinth  died  and  was  buried  in  a  spot 
where  the  acanthus  grew.    Her  old  nurse,  carrying  to  the 

d5 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

tomb  a  basket  of  the  dead  child 's  toys  and  ornaments,  placed 
it  upon  one  of  these  plants.  When  the  young  leaves  came 
up  they  were  bent  by  the  burden  into  a  curve  and  prettily 
framed  the  basket;  and  the  sculptor  Callimachus,  chancing 
by,  was  so  charmed  by  the  grace  of  their  lines  that  he 
perpetuated  them  in  stone. 

ACHYRANTHES 

This  plant  is  indigenous  to  India,  and  in  one  of  the 
religious  ceremonies  of  the  Hindus  a  flour  of  its  seed  is 
offered  at  daybreak  to  the  god  Indra.  Many  demons  had 
this  hero-deity  slain,  but  the  monster  Namuchi  finally  over- 
powered him,  and  Indra  was  glad  to  make  peace  with  him 
by  promising  that  he  would  never  again  slay  any  creature 
with  either  a  liquid  or  a  solid,  by  day  or  by  night.  This  ap- 
peared to  Namuchi  to  embrace  all  possible  contingencies, 
but  Indra  plucked  a  plant,  which  is  neither  solid  nor  liquid 
— at  least,  in  his  reasoning — and,  falling  upon  Namuchi 
in  the  dawn,  when  it  is  neither  day  nor  night,  he  slew  that 
astonished  creature.  As  soon  as  the  demon  was  dead,  the 
achyranthes  sprang  from  his  skull,  and  with  this  plant 
Indra  flogged  all  the  other  demons  out  of  existence. 

ACONITE 

We  call  this  plant  '* monkshood"  in  America,  because 
of  its  upper  petal.  Its  cap-like  form  gives  it  the  name  of 
' '  troll 's  hat ' '  in  Denmark,  and  ' '  iron  hat ' '  and  ' '  storm  hat '  * 
in  Germany,  where  it  is  also  "the  devlFs  herb,"  for  it  is 
associated  with  the  spells  whereby  witches  invoke  the  devil. 
In  Norway  it  is  "Odin's  helmet,"  there  recalling  the  tarn- 
helm,  or  cap  of  darkness,  which  made  its  wearer  invisible. 
The  plant's  power  for  mischief  has  been  recognized  since 

36 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  earliest  recorded  times,  and  even  appears  in  the  age 
of  myth,  as  shall  forthwith  be  disclosed : 

When  Theseus  returned  from  his  wanderings  he  did 
not  at  once  reveal  himself  to  his  father,  ^geus,  but  resolved 
to  learn  first  how  he  might  be  affected  toward  him.  ' '  I  have 
delivered  the  land  from  many  monsters,"  he  told  the  old 
king,  ''and  I  ask  for  payment."  Then  entered  Medea, 
the  beautiful  witch,  and,  standing  close  to  Theseus,  so  that 
the  subtle  perfume  of  her  garments  soothed  and  enticed 
him,  she  poured  a  flashing  liquid  into  a  golden  goblet. 
** Welcome  to  the  hero,  the  destroyer  of  evil,"  she  said. 
*' Drink  from  this  cup  the  wine  which  gives  rest  and  life 
and  closes  every  wound.  It  is  the  cup  that  gods  might 
drink. ' ' 

Taking  the  vessel  into  his  hand,  Theseus  held  it  toward 
her,  seeming  about  to  drink  to  her  eyes.  Then  he  stood 
transfixed,  for  while  Medea 's  face  was  lovely,  and  the  cloud 
of  hair  about  it  shone  like  the  sunset,  the  eyes  into  which 
he  had  looked  were  glittering  and  reminded  him  of  a 
snake's.  ''The  wine  is  nectar  from  Olympus,  and  its  odor 
enraptures  the  sense,  but  she  who  brings  it  is  fair  beyond  all 
other  mortals,"  he  said.  "It  will  give  a  finer  flavor  to 
the  cup  if  she  will  taste  it  first,  that  the  perfume  of  her  lips 
may  linger  in  the  wine." 

Medea  faltered  and  grew  white.  "I  am  unweU,"  she 
answered. 

"Drink,  or,  by  the  gods,  you  die  at  my  hands!"  cried 
Theseus,  for  he  read  the  meaning  of  her  hesitancy.  The 
king  and  court  looked  on  speechless  with  astonishment  and 
fear.  With  a  swift  movement,  Medea  dashed  the  goblet 
to  the  floor,  and  ere  the  prince  could  strike  had  fled  in  her 
dragon  chariot,  never  to  be  seen  again.  As  the  spilt  liquor 
spattered  over  the  floor,  it  caused  the  marble  to  crack  and 
dissolve   to  powder,   seething   as   it   gathered   into   pools. 

37 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Then  the  prince  disclosed  himself,  and  the  palace  was  filled 
with  rejoicing. 

While  from  its  action  on  the  marble  we  should  assume 
Medea's  poison  to  have  been  a  violent  acid,  tradition  says 
that  it  contained  aconite.  It  was  with  the  juice  of  this 
plant  that  ancient  armies  anointed  their  spears  and  arrows, 
that  a  scratch  might  cause  death,  and  it  is  said  to  be  still 
used  by  some  savage  tribes.  Chiron,  the  centaur,  discov- 
ered the  mischief  in  it  by  accidentally  dropping  an  arrow 
thus  poisoned  on  his  hoof,  dying  in  the  discovery.  By 
reason  of  its  maleficence  it  was  dedicated  to  Hecate,  queen 
of  hell,  in  whose  garden  it  was  sown  by  Cerberus,  the 
three-headed  monster  who  guards  the  place  of  shadows. 

ALLIGATOR  TAIL 

In  the  old  days  alligators  believed  that  life  offered  noth- 
ing more  profitable  than  napping,  eating,  and  lying  in  a 
shady  swamp.  But  finally  men  penetrated  the  jungle, 
to  the  astonishment  of  the  saurians,  and  as  these  men 's  rude 
speech  resembled  the  universal  tongue  of  the  jungle,  some 
of  the  alligators  understood.  The  men  said  such  reptiles 
occupied  the  water  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains,  and 
one  stranger  declared,  ''Our  people  over  there  believe  alli- 
gators to  be  gods,  so  they  feed  them  and  care  for  them." 

Here  was  a  prospect  to  rouse  wild  hopes  among  the  lis- 
teners. After  the  strangers  had  departed,  several  young 
alligators  scrambled  up  the  banks  and  awoke  a  veteran  of 
their  family.  The  veteran  was  unmoved.  ''Those  strange 
animals  that  have  been  talking  here  are  called  men,"  he 
told  them.  "Once  they  were  monkeys,  and  lived  in  trees. 
They  had  to  come  down  and  walk  on  the  earth  because  they 
cut  off  their  tails,  and  ever  since  they  have  been  so  vain, 
because  they  are  different  from  the  rest,  that  there  is  no  be- 

38 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

lieving  anything  they  say.  They  do  not  worship  alligators, 
you  may  be  sure.  On  the  contrary,  they  worship  only 
themselves. ' ' 

The  young  alligators  ascribed  the  veteran's  hlase  air  to 
an  indisposition  to  move.  So  hundreds  of  them  set  off  for 
the  promised  land.  At  night  they  were  tired  with  their 
unusual  exertions,  and,  crawling  into  the  marshes  of  the 
river  known  as  the  Winding  Snake,  they  fell  asleep.  As 
they  lay  there  the  water  gods  discovered  them.  Now,  these 
gods,  having  bidden  the  saurians  keep  to  the  hot  lands, 
resented  this  curiosity  and  intrusion  on  the  secret  places. 
So  they  seized  every  alligator  and  thrust  his  head  into  the 
earth,  leaving  his  tail  gyrating  in  the  air.  As  alligators 
they  ceased  to  be,  but  as  plants  they  continue  to  this  day, 
and  explorers  in  the  wilderness  have,  among  other  obstacles, 
to  buffet  their  way  through  plantations  of  the  tree  known 
as  the  rabo  de  lagarto,  or  alligator's  tail.  These  trees  stand 
as  a  warning  to  all  the  alligator  tribes  never  to  leave  the 
lowlands. 

ALMOND 

The  Princess  Phyllis,  and  the  youth,  Demophoon,  whose 
ships  had  been  wrecked  on  the  Thracian  coast,  fell  in  love 
with  each  other,  and  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  wed. 
But  first  Demophoon,  his  ships  being  repaired  at  the  cost  of 
his  host,  the  Thracian  king,  set  sail,  with  the  promise  that 
he  would  return  as  soon  as  he  could  put  his  affairs  in  order. 
Alas  for  the  frailty  of  his  sex,  he  was  met  at  home  by  a 
maid  so  much  fairer,  in  his  eyes,  that  he  forgot  his  promise. 
Phyllis  watched  at  the  shore,  her  heart  leaping  whenever  a 
sail  appeared  on  the  horizon.  In  time  she  grew  ill,  and  at 
last  faded  away  in  grief.  But  she  was  not  carried  to  the 
grave,  for  the  gods  betokened  their  admiration  for  her  con- 
stancy by  turning  her  into  an  almond  tree,  and  in  that 
form  she  kept  her  watch,  her  arms  still  beckoning  the  un- 

39 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

faithful  one.  So  she  stood  when  Demophoon  returned, 
whether  repentant  or  in  quest  of  some  advantage  does  not 
matter  now;  at  all  events,  he  learned  what  had  happened, 
and,  conscience-smitten,  he  sought  the  tree,  fell  at  its  feet, 
and  embraced  its  trunk,  watering  its  roots  with  tears,  where- 
upon it  burst  into  bloom  for  gladness.  And  in  the  Greek 
tongue  the  name  of  the  almond  became  phylla. 

In  Tuscany  branches  of  almond  are  used  to  find  hidden 
treasure,  as  the  hazel  is  used  elsewhere.  Catholics  assign 
the  tree  to  the  Virgin;  Mahometans  see  in  it  the  hope  of 
heaven ;  and  in  Hebraic  lore  it  was  an  almond  that  budded 
and  fruited  in  the  Tabernacle  in  a  day,  when  Aaron  had 
held  it  as  his  rod. 

Now,  this  rod  of  Aaron,  being  preserved  with  reverence, 
reached  Rome  and  became  the  staff  of  the  Pope,  whereof 
another  story.  "Wagner  has  familiarized  the  world  with  the 
Tannhauser  legend,  though  it  long  had  currency  in  other 
than  its  musical  form.  The  hero  of  the  tale  was  a  min- 
nesinger, and  while  on  the  way  to  take  part  in  a  singing 
contest,  he  came  to  a  cave  in  the  hill-side,  at  the  entrance 
of  which  stood  a  woman  of  surpassing  loveliness.  Obeying 
her  invitation,  the  minstrel  followed  her  far  into  the  moun- 
tain, where  the  cave  broadened  into  a  splendid  chamber. 
It  was  Venus,  queen  of  love,  who  had  summoned  him. 
Thought  of  time,  duty,  and  memory  of  his  fellow  creatures 
slept  in  his  mind  for  years ;  but  there  came  a  day  when  the 
perpetual  revel  palled,  and  he  hungered  for  the  coarser 
fruits  of  the  earth.  In  vain  he  begged  his  captor  to  lead 
him  to  the  outer  world  again.  At  last  he  fell  on  his  knees 
and  implored  the  Holy  Virgin  to  rescue  him.  At  the  end 
of  a  long  prayer,  with  closed  eyes,  he  felt  a  cool  breath 
touch  his  cheek,  and,  looking  up,  he  discovered  that  he 
was  on  the  Horselberg,  back  in  the  world,  the  sun  shining 
overhead.    He  wept  for  joy. 

40 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

A  priest  to  whom  he  confessed  declared  that  no  other 
man  had  so  offended,  and  that  absolution  could  come  only 
from  the  Pope.  Tannhauser  plodded  wearily  to  Rome  and 
appealed  to  the  holy  father.  The  recital  of  his  experience 
filled  Pope  Urban  with  horror.  ''Guilt  like  yours,"  he 
cried,  ' '  can  never  be  forgiven !  Before  God  Himself  could 
pardon  you,  this  staff  that  I  hold  would  grow  green  and 
bloom!"  The  doomed  one  went  his  way,  and  in  course  of 
time  found  himself  at  the  Horselberg  once  more.  In  sud- 
den desperation,  he  called  aloud  to  Venus  to  take  him  back. 
The  goddess  did  so,  and  three  days  after  the  mountain  had 
closed  upon  them,  the  Pope's  staff  suddenly  put  forth 
almond  flowers  and  leaves.  A  great  horror  and  a  great 
sorrow  filled  the  holy  father,  for  he  understood  that  God's 
judgments  are  gentler  than  ours.  He  sent  messengers  in 
pursuit  of  Tannhauser,  but  to  no  purpose.  He  was  lost 
to  the  world. 

Another  legend  concerns  the  novice  in  a  monastery, 
who,  in  order  that  he  might  learn  patience  and  obedience, 
was  commanded  to  w^ater  a  branch  of  styrax  daily  for  two 
years,  although  he  had  to  carry  the  water  from  the  Nile, 
two  miles  away.  Patience  was  rewarded  when  the  branch, 
seemingly  dead,  burst  into  flower.  Indeed,  these  legends 
of  blossoming  staffs  and  branches  go  back  to  the  Romans, 
at  least,  for  Virgil  tells  of  the  miracle  in  his  ^neid.  Tur- 
pin's  history  of  Charlemagne  also  relates  an  occurrence 
of  this  sort,  but  more  unusual  and  startling,  for  the  spears 
of  the  emperor's  troops,  which  had  been  thrust  into  the 
earth  when  he  made  camp,  became  a  forest  during  the  night 
and  shaded  the  tents.  In  Jewish  lore  the  terebinth  grew 
from  a  staff  carried  by  one  of  the  angels  who  visited  Abra- 
ham. It  is  also  said  that  the  staff  carried  by  Joseph,  when 
he  sought  the  hand  of  Mary,  broke  into  leaf  in  token  of 
heaven's  sanction  of  the  compact. 

41 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

AMARANTH 

In  the  faith  of  the  ancients,  amaranth,  *Hhe  never- 
fading,  ' '  gemmed  the  fields  of  paradise.  Though  the  aspho- 
del was  the  flower  of  death,  the  amaranth,  as  the  flower 
of  immortality  in  the  symbolry  of  the  Greeks,  was  used 
for  funerary  purposes.  The  Swedes  have  a  national  recog- 
nition of  the  flower  in  their  Order  of  the  Amaranth.  That 
variety  of  the  plant  which  we  call  *' love-lies-bleeding, ' '  be- 
cause of  its  bloody  crimson,  and  that  in  France  is  ''the 
nun's  scourge,"  sirse  to  the  Gallic  mind  it  suggests  the 
flagellations  endured  by  penitents,  is  almost  the  only  form 
of  it  familiar  in  our  gardens.  In  countries  that  confess 
the  Roman  faith,  the  amaranth  is  one  of  the  flowers  chosen 
to  decorate  the  churches  on  Ascension  Day,  thus  showing  the 
persistence  of  its  Greek  association  with  the  life  hereafter. 
Globe  amaranth,  prince's  feathers,  cock's  comb,  flower  gen- 
tle, velvet  flower,  flower  velure,  and  floramor  are  recent  and 
ancient  names  for  the  plant. 

ANEMONE 

When  Adonis  had  fallen,  pierced  by  the  fangs  of  the 
boar  in  whose  pursuit  he  was  more  eager  than  in  his  re- 
sponse to  the  proffered  love  of  Venus,  that  goddess  be- 
dewed the  earth  with  tears,  and  as  too  precious  to  evaporate 
back  into  air,  the  earth,  with  heaven's  alchemy,  translated 
them  into  anemones.  Their  English  name  of  wind-flowers 
commemorates  the  belief  that  they  opened  at  command  of 
the  first  mild  breezes  of  the  spring.  To  the  Chinese,  they 
are  flowers  of  death,  hence  there  is  a  wide  association  of  them 
with  grief  and  suffering,  and  they  are  often  regarded  as 
dangerous — a  recent  notion,  for  the  Romans  gathered  them 
as  a  cure  for  the  malarial  fevers  that  the  mosquitoes  carried 
into  the  city  from  the  Campagna. 

42 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

In  another  legend,  the  ''little  wind  rose/'  as  the  Ger- 
mans name  it,  was  a  maid  attached  to  the  court  of  Chloris, 
where  she  was  seen  and  loved  by  Zephyrus,  the  god  who 
caused  flowers  and  fruits  to  spring  from  the  earth  by 
breathing  on  it.  Chloris  fancied  that  the  wind  god  was 
about  to  sue  for  her  hand;  hence,  on  discovering  his  pas- 
sion for  Anemone,  she  drove  that  nymph  from  her  presence 
in  anger.  Finding  her  broken-hearted,  and  hence  dismal 
company,  and  having  also  to  make  his  peace  with  Chloris, 
Zephyrus  abandoned  the  poor  creature,  but  in  taking  his 
leave  changed  her  into  the  flower  that  bears  her  name. 

The  ancients  gathered  the  anemone  to  decorate  the  altars 
of  Venus,  since  they  were  the  tokens  of  her  love,  and  also 
to  wreathe  the  faces  of  the  dead.  The  idea  of  immortality 
seems  to  have  long  pertained  to  it,  and  it  is  still  known  in 
parts  of  Europe  as  the  Easter  flower,  or  flower  of  the  resur- 
rection. As  "the  cow  bell,"  it  garlanded  the  cow  in 
the  Easter  festivals  of  the  Germans.  In  the  holy  land  it 
is  *'the  blood-drops-of -Christ"  (a  name  oddly  given  to  the 
wall-flower,  also),  for  the  sacred  blood  fell  upon  the  anem- 
ones that  were  springing  on  Calvary  on  the  evening  of  the 
crucifixion,  and  they  became  red  from  that  hour.  As  the 
fathers  employed  the  triple  leaf  of  this  plant  to  symbolize 
the  three  personalities  of  the  godhood,  it  also  took  the  name 
of ''herb  trinity." 

APPLE 

There  is  much  symbolic  use  of  the  apple,  and  it  appears 
in  folk-lore  as  well  as  in  Scripture;  for  it  is  grown  in  all 
lands  where  the  sun  is  not  too  weak  or  too  hot.  We  connect 
it  with  the  oldest  legend  in  the  world — though  there  is  really 
nothing  in  Scripture  to  show  that  the  fruit  with  which 
Satan  tempted  Eve  was  not  a  pomegranate  or  a  pear.  The 
apple  was  also  related  to  Venus,  and  praised  by  Solomon. 

43 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

It  was  eaten  by  Swiss  lake-dwellers,  and  prized  by  the 
Greeks  and  Romans,  who  tell  how  Atlanta  lost  her  race  by 
stooping  to  pick  up  the  golden  apples  dropped  by  her  com- 
petitor, whose  life  was  forfeit  if  he  failed  to  reach  the 
goal  ahead  of  her.  It  is  the  apple  that  unhappy  Tantalus 
strives  to  reach,  that  he  may  ease  hell's  torments,  but  its 
boughs  are  ever  tossing  upward  as  he  has  them  almost 
in  his  grasp,  just  as  the  stream  flows  away  from  him  when 
he  stoops  to  drink.  The  apple  of  discord,  and  the  apple 
of  the  Hesperides,  are  familiar  figures  in  poetry. 

In  the  Norse  legend  Iduna  kept  a  store  of  apples  which 
the  gods  ate,  thereby  keeping  themselves  young.  Loki,  the 
fire-god,  stole  the  fruit,  and  affairs  went  badly  till  the 
other  deities  had  recovered  it. 

A  golden  bird  that  seeks  the  golden  apples  of  a  king's 
garden  figures  in  northern  fairy  tales.  The  Poles  tell 
how  an  adventurous  youth,  by  fixing  a  lynx's  claws  to  his 
feet  and  hands,  climbs  to  the  summit  of  a  glass  mountain 
where  grow  golden  apples,  and  there  frees  a  princess  from 
enchantment.  In  a  German  folk-tale,  a  girl  who  consents 
to  act  as  godmother  to  a  babe  of  the  dwarfs  is  rewarded 
with  an  apronful  of  apples  that  turn  to  gold  as  she  emerges 
from  their  underworld.  The  apple-tree  supplanted  the 
May-pole  as  a  phallic  symbol  in  England,  and  young 
people  danced  about  it,  singing  their  hopes  for  a  year  of 
plenty  after  sprinkling  it  with,  cider.  In  various  lands  the 
fruit  or  seed  or  blossom  is  used  in  divination,  and  I  have 
seen  Yankee  cooks  toss  a  paring  over  the  shoulder,  when 
they  were  peeling  the  fruit  for  sauce  or  pies,  that  they 
might  learn  the  initial  of  their  future  husband,  the  paring 
as  it  fell  being  expected  to  shape  itself  to  those  letters.  In 
England  a  girl  will  name  a  number  of  seeds  for  her  pros- 
pective sweethearts,  and  the  seed  that  stays  longest  when 
moistened  and  placed  on  her  forehead  indicates  the  man 
who  will  marry  her. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

The  legend  of  St.  Dorothea  has  two  versions,  one  of 
which  (see  under  head  of  roses)  represents  her  as  return- 
ing from  heaven  with  flowers  for  the  gibing  Theophilus, 
while  in  the  other  she  sends  fruit.  This  latter  recounts 
that  the  lawyer  cried  tauntingly  to  the  saint,  when  she  was 
led  to  death  for  heresy, ' '  Send  me  some  fruit  from  heaven. ' ' 

**As  you  wish,  Theophilus, ' '  she  answered;  then  asked 
the  guard  to  halt  a  moment  while  she  prayed.  Suddenly  a 
beautiful  boy  was  discovered  standing  near,  whom  no  one 
had  seen  to  approach.  In  his  hands  was  a  basket  of  flowers, 
and,  lying  upon  them,  three  great  apples,  streaked  with 
emerald  green  and  ruby  red,  vied  in  color  and  perfume 
with  the  blossoms.  The  saint  said,  *'Give  these  to  Theo- 
philus, and  tell  him  there  are  more  in  paradise,  where  I 
hope  to  meet  him. ' '  A  little  later  her  head  was  struck  off. 
Theophilus,  smelling  and  tasting  the  fruit,  was  filled  with 
wonder  at  the  miracle,  and  presently  embraced  the  faith 
he  had  despised,  thereby  winning  martyrdom  for  himself, 
and  with  that  heaven. 

In  Persia,  the  apple  is  the  fruit  of  immortality,  as  we 
learn  from  the  tale  of  Anasindhu,  a  holy  man  who  lived 
in  a  wood  with  Parvati,  his  wife,  speaking  only  thrice  a 
year,  and  giving  all  his  waking  hours  to  meditations  on 
virtue.  The  reputation  he  gained  for  wisdom  and  good- 
ness made  him  tho  admiration  of  his  country;  but  he  had 
his  heavenly  reward  also,  for  Gauri  gave  him  an  apple  as  a 
token  that  the  gods  wished  him  to  live  such  a  life  forever. 
He  placed  it  at  his  lips,  but  before  tasting  it  his  wife  came 
into  his  mind — his  overlooked  and  discontented  wife.  She 
had  shared  the  hardships  of  his  secluded  life;  why  not 
its  blessings,  now  that  they  had  come?  But  to  his  aston- 
ishment she  refused  the  fruit.  * '  Why  should  I  wish  immor- 
tality?" she  asked.  ''I  could  never  be  happy  here  in  the 
forest,  seeing  no  other  faces,  sharing  no  happiness  with 
others,  and  begging  from  every  passing  pilgrim." 

45 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Anasindhu  was  indignant.  *'If  the  gods  wish  me  to 
live  thus,  is  it  for  you  to  protest ?' '  he  cried.  And  she,  be- 
ing a  woman,  was  silent.  But  after  a  little  she  asked,  *  *  Can 
you  not  be  as  useful  to  the  gods  and  more  useful  to  men  in 
town?  Are  you  always  to  live  in  this  wretched  place? 
What  harm  to  see  our  fellow  creatures,  to  hear  music,  to 
eat  better  food,  to  see  the  palaces  and  temples  and  splendor 
of  the  capital?  Oh,  I  would  have  servants  and  a  golden 
carriage  and  a  palanquin  of  perfumed  wood,  and  you  should 
be  the  king's  minister,  and  all  should  hold  you  in  awe  and 
obey  you.  And  you  should  build  great  temples  and  be 
admired. ' ' 

**I  can  not  do  these  things,  woman — I  who  beg  and  am 
poor.'' 

**But  you  can  sell  the  fruit  of  immortality  for  a  price." 

The  holy  one  was  shocked,  yet  the  woman  artfully 
showed  how  the  money  could  be  put,  not  merely  to  his 
advantage,  but  to  the  welfare  of  the  race  and  the  glory 
of  the  gods.  *'In  the  first  place,"  she  said,  ''you  have 
nothing  to  prove  that  it  is  an  apple  of  life,  and  if  a  spirit 
has  merely  made  you  a  subject  of  pleasantry,  you  will  be 
none  the  better  for  eating,  and  none  the  worse  for  losing 
it.  If  it  is  really  a  gift  of  heaven,  you  will  never  be  happy 
on  earth  if  you  continue  this  joyless  life,  whereas  you  may 
glorify  the  gods  if  you  sell  it,  and  be  happy  in  good  works 
so  long  as  you  may  live,  even  if  you  are  not  chosen  the  more 
surely  for  immortality  for  this  service." 

Anasindhu  was  struck  by  this  pleading,  and  the  end  of 
it  was  that  he  went  to  the  city  and  sold  the  apple  to  the 
king.  But  the  king  also  aspired  to  holiness.  He  thought 
how  selfish  it  would  be  in  him  to  monopolize  the  gifts  of  the 
gods;  he  reflected  on  the  charities  that  the  pious  hermit 
would  doubtless  give  with  the  money  received  for  the  fruit ; 
he  thought  of  the  gain  in  heaven  that  would  come  of  re- 

46 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

nunciation.  **No,"  he  cried;  ''I  am  not  worthy  to  be 
immortal. ' '  In  the  garden,  where  he  went  to  meditate, 
he  saw  his  queen.  ''Eat,"  he  exclaimed,  ''for  this  is  the 
apple  of  immortality.  There  is  none  in  the  world  so  worthy 
to  live  as  you,  none  so  beautiful,  none  of  such  a  bird-like 
voice,  none  of  such  gentleness.  Eat,  and  delight  the  world 
with  your  beauty  forever." 

The  queen  smiled  brilliantly  and  took  the  fruit  with 
thanks,  while  the  king,  after  kissing  her  feet,  returned 
to  the  palace.  But  when  it  was  dark,  and  he  was  asleep, 
the  queen  crept  forth  into  a  shaded  place  w^hence  presently 
came  the  sound  of  kisses.  And  in  the  morning  the  captain 
of  the  guards  walked  proudly  about  the  garden  with  the 
apple  in  his  hand.  Yet  he  was  not  happy.  He  looked  at  the 
fruit  with  longing,  for  it  was  a  queen 's  gift,  but  he  remem- 
bered also  a  little  serving-maid  whom  he  loved  more  dearly 
than  his  queen.  "I  will  make  her  a  goddess,"  he  mur- 
mured. "She  shall  have  the  apple,  and  her  beauty  and 
goodness  shall  never  fade." 

But,  lo !  on  the  next  day  a  girl  in  humble  dress  fell  at 
the  king's  feet  and  offered  to  him  a  withering  apple.  He 
started  when  he  saw  it.  "Great  ruler,"  she  said,  "I  am 
only  a  servant,  but  there  has  come  into  my  hands  this  apple 
which,  being  eaten,  confers  immortality.  I  am  not  worthy 
to  touch  so  great  a  gift.  I  pray  you  eat  it  and  become 
as  the  gods,  doing  great  deeds  and  worshipped  by  all 
mankind." 

The  king  grasped  the  apple  and  demanded,  "Who  gave 
you  this?" 

"My  betrothed,  sire;  the  captain  of  your  guard." 

The  captain  was  sent  for.  When  he  saw  what  his  sweet- 
heart had  done  he  was  much  afraid,  but  confessed  at  last 
that  the  queen  had  given  the  fruit  to  him.  At  this  the 
king,  in  a  blaze  of  anger,  ordered  him  to  instant  execution, 

47 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

and  commanded  that  the  queen  be  burned  in  the  square. 
**And  this  is  human  grandeur!"  he  reflected  bitterly. 
** Yesterday  I  was  happy;  to-day  I  am  the  most  miserable 
of  men."  Then,  calling  his  chief  priest,  he  commanded 
him  to  give  all  his  riches  to  the  poor,  dressed  himself  in 
his  oldest  garb,  and  left  his  kingdom  forever,  to  sleep  at 
the  roadside  and  beg  his  way  through  the  land.  As  he  left 
the  palace,  Anashindu  came  by  dressed  in  silks,  and  riding 
in  a  golden  litter  attended  by  many  servants.  The  king 
extended  the  apple  to  him.  ^ '  Take  it, ' '  he  cried,  * '  for  there 
is  none  other  in  this  kingdom  worthy  to  receive  it.  Be 
immortal,  and,  if  you  can,  be  happy. ' ' 

Anashindu  gladly  took  the  fruit  and  put  it  at  his  lips. 
*' There  is  no  doubt,"  said  he,  ''that  the  gods  wish  me  to 
live  forever."  But  as  he  opened  his  mouth  a  jolt  of  the 
litter  caused  him  to  drop  the  apple,  and  a  dog  that  was 
running  by  gulped  it  at  a  mouthful.  So  immortality  is 
denied  to  men,  but  in  the  East  a  dog  is  wandering  from 
hamlet  to  hamlet,  unable  to  die,  and  taking  little  happiness, 

A  sombre  tradition  concerns  the  Micah  Rood  apples, 
or  bloody  hearts,  that  made  their  appearance  in  Franklin, 
Connecticut,  but  are  now  widely  cultivated  in  other  towns 
and  States.  They  are  sweet  of  flavor,  fragrant,  hand- 
somely red  outside,  and  while  most  of  the  flesh  is  white, 
there  is  at  the  core  a  red  spot  that  represents  human  blood. 
Near  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  there  lived  in 
Franklin  a  farmer  named  Micah  Rood,  who  was  regarded 
by  his  neighbors  as  of  rather  a  worthless  sort,  fond  of 
leisure  yet  fond  of  money.  In  the  early  days  of  the  colony 
trading  was  done  mostly  by  roving  peddlers,  and  while 
these  gentry  gained  modestly  in  their  dealings  with  people 
who  were  of  the  narrowest  means,  they  sometimes  carried 
sums  that  would  excite  the  cupidity  of  men  less  moral  than 
the  New  Englanders.     One   day  a  peddler,  making  the 

48 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

rounds  of  the  settlements,  was  found  dead  on  the  Rood 
farm,  with  a  gash  in  his  head  and  his  pack  empty.  Rood 
was  suspected,  and  either  knowledge  of  this  suspicion  or 
the  proddings  of  his  conscience  forced  him  into  strict  seclu- 
sion. If  he  had  robbed  the  man,  he  had  small  good  of  his 
plunder,  for  he  spent  money  no  more  freely  than  before. 
Indeed,  he  became  neglectful  of  his  farm,  and  his  house 
fell  into  disrepair.  That  year  the  tree  beneath  which  the 
peddler  had  died  did  a  strange  thing:  it  put  forth  red 
apples  instead  of  yellow,  each  with  a  blood  stain  at  its 
heart,  as  if  in  witness  against  the  murderer ;  and  the  gossips 
would  have  it  that  the  decay  of  the  farm  and  the  air  of 
misfortune  that  clouded  the  life  of  Micah  Rood  in  his  last 
days  were  the  results  of  his  victim's  curse.  Rood  died 
without  revealing  his  secret,  if  he  had  any,  but  his  tree 
lived,  and  its  fruit  has  been  grafted  on  hundreds  of  other 
orchards. 

Although  there  is  plenty  to  prove  that  St.  Dunstan 
pulled  the  devil 's  nose  with  hot  tongs,  and  so  freed  himself 
from  temptation  for  all  time,  the  farmers  of  the  south  of 
England  will  have  it  that  the  saint,  who  was  brewer  as  well 
as  blacksmith,  sold  his  soul  to  the  fiend  on  condition  that 
his  beer  would  have  a  better  sale  than  his  neighbor's  cider. 
As  part  of  the  bargain,  all  apple-trees  were  to  be  frosted 
or  blighted  on  the  17th,  18th,  and  19th  of  May,  so  these 
dates  are  watched  anxiously  by  farmers.  The  19th  is  not 
only  St.  Dunstan 's  Day,  but  brings  Frankum's  Night, 
when  one  Frankum  compacted  with  witches  for  a  specially 
good  crop  of  apples,  and  got  a  frost  instead,  as  he  deserved. 

The  apples  of  the  south  of  England  are  famous  for  the 
quality  of  cider  that  they  make.  The  monks  of  Tavistock 
Abbey  had  a  fine  orchard,  and  the  drink  they  brewed  from 
it  would  turn  almost  any  man  into  a  monk ;  yet  at  times  it 
was  edgy  or  sharp,  and  as  mixing  it  with  wine  was  expen- 
4  49 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

sive,  to  say  nothing  of  the  effect  of  the  blend  on  heads 
that  should  be  filled  with  pious  thoughts,  the  abbot 
offered  a  prize  for  some  process  that  should  make 
rough  cider  smooth.  Ere  many  days  a  little  old 
man  with  a  limp  applied  for  work,  saying  that  he 
knew  all  about  orchards  and  cider-presses,  and  would  be 
satisfied  not  to  lodge  in  the  monastery — an  empty  cask 
would  do.  The  appearance  and  conduct  of  the  man  roused 
the  curiosity  of  Father  John,  who  had  the  making  of  the 
cider,  and,  peeping  into  the  barrel  when  the  ancient  was 
napping,  he  was  not  half  astonished  to  discover  that  the 
stranger  had  one  foot  shaped  like  a  hoof,  while  a  yard  of 
snaky  tail  was  hanging  out  at  the  bung-hole.  As  quickly 
as  the  good  friar  could  pipe  new  cider  into  that  sleeping 
apartment  he  did  so,  and  with  a  vast  spluttering  and  curs- 
ing the  hired  man  leaped  out  of  the  cask,  shot  into  the  air, 
and  disappeared ;  incidentally  giving  off  such  quantities  of 
hot  and  sulphurous  breath  that  the  cider  was  almost  boiling. 
Father  John  gave  a  grunt  of  satisfaction  that  he  had  rid 
the  monastery  of  so  dangerous  a  guest,  and  when  the  drink 
was  cool  he  had  the  hardihood  to  taste  it.  His  eyebrows 
went  up,  and  his  heart,  too,  for  the  cider  was  sweet  and 
rich  and  smooth.  So  he  took  his  lesson  from  the  devil, 
and  thereafter  poured  the  harsher  kinds  on  burning 
sulphur,  making  it  the  best  of  all  cider.  Devon  men  call 
fine  cider  ** matched,"  because  it  has  been  treated  with 
brimstone.    And  that  is  how  it  happened. 

ARBUTUS 

Old  Peboan  sat  alone  in  his  ragged  tepee.  His  locks 
were  white,  scant,  lank  as  the  icicles  that  festooned  the  pines 
above  his  lodge.  He  was  wrapped  to  the  nose  in  furs,  yet 
he  was  cold,  as  well  as  weak  with  hunger,  for  he  had  found 

50 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

no  game  for  three  days.  ''Help,  Great  Spirit!"  he  cried, 
at  last.  ''It  is  I,  Peboan,  the  winter  manitou,  who  calls. 
I  am  old,  and  my  feet  are  heavy.  There  is  no  food.  Must 
I  go  into  the  north  to  find  the  white  bear?"  He  breathed 
on  the  morsel  of  fire;  it  flared  for  a  moment,  and  it  was 
as  if  a  warm  wind  stirred  the  deerskin  cover  of  his  lodge. 
Peboan  crouched  over  the  little  flame  and  waited.  He  knew 
that  the  Great  Spirit  would  hear  him.  Presently,  the  tepee 
door  was  lifted  and  there  appeared  a  handsome  girl  with 
fawn  eyes  full  of  liquid  light.  Her  cheeks  were  rose ;  her 
hair,  of  deepest  black,  fell  over  her  like  a  garment;  her 
dress  was  of  sweet  grass  and  young  leaves.  In  her  arms 
were  willow  twigs  with  velvet  buds  upon  them.  "I  am 
Segun,"  she  said. 

"Come,  Segun,  and  sit  by  my  fire.  I  have  called  for 
help  from  the  Great  Spirit.    "What  can  you  do?" 

*'Tell  me  what  you  can  do,  yourself,"  answered  Segun. 

"I  am  the  winter  manitou.  I  was  strong  when  I  was 
young.  I  had  only  to  breathe  and  the  streams  would  stand 
still,  the  leaves  would  fall  and  the  flowers  die. ' ' 

"I  am  the  summer  manitou,"  the  maiden  replied. 
"Where  I  breathe  the  flowers  spring.  Where  I  walk,  the 
waters  follow." 

"I  shake  my  hair,  and  snow  falls  like  the  feathers  of 
the  swan.     It  spreads  as  a  death-cloth  over  the  earth." 

"I  shake  my  hair,  and  rain  comes,  warm  and  gentle. 
When  I  call  the  birds  answer.  The  grass  grows  thick  under 
my  feet.  My  tepee  is  not  close  and  dark  like  this.  The 
blue  lodge  is  mine — the  summer  sky.  Ah,  Peboan,  you  can 
stay  no  longer.  The  Great  Spirit  has  sent  me  to  say  that 
your  time  has  come." 

The  old  man  looked  up  and  drew  his  furs  yet  tighter 
about  him,  but  his  strength  went  out  in  the  effort.  His 
head  fell  upon  his  shoulder,  and  he  sank  at  length  upon  the 

51 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

earth.  The  patter  of  melting  snow  began  to  sound.  Segun 
waved  her  hands  over  the  prostrate  manitou,  and  he  grew 
less  and  less  till  at  last  no  trace  of  him  was  left.  His  furs 
turned  to  leaves,  his  tepee  to  a  tree.  Some  of  the  leaves  were 
hard  with  ice,  but  Segun,  stooping,  placed  them  in  her  hair ; 
then,  as  they  changed  color,  she  put  them  into  the  ground 
and  breathed  on  them.  At  the  touch  of  the  warmth  they 
freshened  and  flushed  and  gave  out  a  delicate  perfume. 
**The  children  shall  find  these,*'  she  said,  *'and  they  will 
know  that  Segun  has  been  here,  and  that  Peboan  has  gone 
away.  This  flower  is  my  token  that  I  possess  the  earth, 
even  though  there  is  snow  about  it.  When  the  rivers  run 
the  air  shall  be  sweet.'*  And  this  was  the  planting  of  the 
trailing  arbutus. 

ARUM 

The  arum  vies  with  the  skunk  cabbage  in  its  eagerness 
to  take  the  air  after  the  long  confinement  of  winter ;  hence 
it  is  out  of  the  earth  almost  before  the  snow  has  cleared, 
though  it  shows  less  haste  in  blossoming,  for  its  flowers  are 
often  delayed  till  June.  When  these  flowers  convert  to  red 
berries,  and  the  hood  that  covered  them  disappears,  we 
see  why  the  plant  gained  the  name  of  *' bloody  men's  fin- 
gers." It  has  many  other  names,  however,  such  as  snake's 
food  (which  of  course  it  isn't),  adder's  meat,  poison  berries, 
Aaron,  Aaron's  root,  Aaron's  rod,  cuckoo  pint,  cuckoo 
pintle,  priest's  pintle,  parson  in  the  pulpit,  parson  and 
clerk,  devil's  men  and  women,  cows  and  calves,  calf's  foot, 
starchwort,  karup,  friar's  cowl,  wake  robin,  wake  pintle, 
lords  and  ladies,  passion  flower,  and  Gethsemane. 

Because  of  the  poison  in  its  root,  and  its  curious  faculty 
of  increasing  in  temperature  while  its  sheath  is  expanding, 
the  arum  was  long  regarded  as  a  plant  to  be  avoided, 
although  it  is  significant  that  the  evil  being  who  invented 

52 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

starch,  for  the  torture  of  his  fellow  creatures,  extracted 
that  malefic  substance  not  merely  from  corn  and  potatoes, 
but  from  the  arum,  thereby  deepening  its  disgrace. 

Two  thousand  years  ago,  it  was  believed  that  there  was 
food  in  the  arum,  and  that  when  bears  awoke  from  hibernat- 
ing they  were  restored  to  vigor  by  eating  it.  When  the 
spies  of  Israel  went  into  the  promised  land,  it  was  said  that 
they  carried  Aaron's  rod,  as  a  part  of  their  belongings, 
and  used  it  in  transporting  the  bunch  of  grapes  they  picked 
at  Eschol,  since  the  fruit  was  so  heavy  that  two  men  could 
lift  it  only  by  attaching  it  to  the  staff.  When  they  arrived 
with  the  grapes  they  mechanically  struck  the  rod  into 
the  ground,  and  the  arum  grew  upon  that  spot  to  symbolize 
the  abundance  they  had  proved.  To  this  day  the  plant  is 
held  to  indicate  a  season's  fertility,  and  farmers  in  some 
parts  of  the  world  gauge  the  size  of  their  crops  in  advance, 
by  the  size  of  the  spadix  of  the  arum. 

ASH 

The  name  **ash"  was  derived  from  the  Norse  aska, 
meaning  man,  for  it  was  from  a  twig  of  this  tree,  crooked 
like  an  arm,  that  Odin  fashioned  the  first  of  our  race. 
Achilles  used  an  ashen  spear,  and  Cupid  made  his  arrows 
of  the  wood.  The  clubs  of  early  warfare  were  often  of  ash, 
for  its  wood  is  tough  and  lasting.  Its  names  of  ' '  husband- 
man's  tree"  and  *' martial  ash"  indicate  its  importance  in 
the  industries  and  arts  of  battle.  Pliny,  in  his  unnatural 
natural  history,  assures  us  that  evil  creatures  have  a  dread 
of  it,  and  that  a  serpent  will  cross  fire  rather  than  pass  over 
its  leaves.  English  mothers  would  rig  little  hammocks  to  ash 
trees  where  their  children  might  sleep  while  field  work 
was  going  on,  believing  the  wood  and  leaves  to  be  a  protec- 
tion against  dangerous  animals  and  more  dangerous  spirits. 

53 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

A  bunch  of  the  leaves  guarded  any  bed  from  harm,  and  that 
house  which  was  surrounded  by  an  ash  grove  was  secure  in- 
deed. ''May  your  footfall  be  by  an  ash's  root,"  is  an  old 
English  form  of  wishing  luck.  The  Germans  gave  honey 
from  the  ash  to  the  new-born  babe,  just  as  the  Scottish 
Highlanders  give  a  drop  of  its  sap  to  the  infant  as  his 
first  food.  During  Yule-tide  festivals  the  ashen  log  was 
burned,  and  the  ashen  fagot  carried  the  sacred  fire  from 
the  old  year  to  the  new.  In  England  the  burning  of  ashen 
logs  and  fagots  at  Christmas  was  the  gladdest  occasion  of 
the  year,  and  the  first  withe  that  broke  in  the  fire  indicated 
the  early  marriage  of  the  girl  who  had  chosen  it. 

In  Scandish  legend,  the  foundation  of  the  world  was 
the  sacred  ash  Ygdrasil,  which  sprang  from  the  void,  ran 
through  the  earth  (a  disk  with  a  heavenly  mountain  in  the 
centre),  and  threw  its  branches  into  the  higher  heavens. 
Its  leaves  were  clouds,  its  fruits  the  stars.  Its  three  roots 
delved  into  hell,  or  Hela  's  realm,  where,  before  the  creation, 
was  no  light,  no  life.  At  each  root  gushed  a  spring — the 
spring  of  force,  the  spring  of  memory,  the  spring  of  life. 
Beside  the  main  stem  were  the  wells,  that  of  Mimir  in  the 
north,  from  which  the  ocean  flows;  and  that  in  the  cheery 
south,  where  the  waters  of  Urdar  spread,  with  swimming 
swans  that  symbolize  the  sun  and  moon.  Says  the  Voluspa : 
*'An  ash  I  know  called  Ygdrasil,  high  and  refreshed  by 
purest  water  that  comes  back  in  dew,  it  stands  ever  green 
over  Urdar."  Midgard,  or  the  world,  was  attached  half 
way  up  the  trunk  and  supported  by  the  branches.  Outside 
of  the  habitable  land  stretched  the  ocean,  and  on  the  earth's 
extreme  rim,  lying  on  the  surface  of  the  sea,  lay  the  serpent, 
its  tail  in  its  mouth  as  it  encircles  the  world,  symbolizing 
continuity  and  eternity.  Still  outside  the  ocean  were  moun- 
tains forming  a  barrier  to  any  adventurous  foot  that  might 
wander  so  far.     On  the  fruit  of  the  tree,  which  Iduna,  god- 

54 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

dess  of  life,  threw  down  to  them,  the  gods  lived  and  in- 
creased in  strength,  though  other  forms  of  the  legend  say 
that  the  fruit  was  not  ash-berries,  but  apples.  Three  sis- 
ters, or  norns,  representing  the  past,  present,  and  future, 
kept  the  tree  flourishing  with  melted  snow  from  the  northern 
hills. 

Other  Norse  legends  are  associated  with  Ygdrasil: 
Odin 's  leaving  his  eye  to  Mimir  as  a  pledge  means  only  that 
the  light  of  his  eye  was  darkened  when  the  sun  sank  every 
evening  in  the  sea — when  he  descended  to  learn  wisdom  of 
the  dwarf.  The  life-giving  mead  that  Mimir  drank  every 
morning  was  the  daybreak.  The  fourth  day  of  the  fourth 
week  was  Ash  Odinsday,  or  Wodensday.  And  every  year 
the  people  were  taught  of  Ygdrasil  by  the  priests :  how  its 
life  pervaded  all  lesser  things,  making  of  men  who  shared 
it  the  relatives  of  beasts  and  even  of  the  trees;  how  be- 
neath the  tree  is  hid  the  gialler  horn  that  shall  sound  over 
the  world  when  comes  the  twilight  of  the  gods,  or  day  of 
judgment;  how  on  that  day  Ygdrasil  will  bow,  the  sea 
rush  foaming  over  the  land,  heaven  open,  and  the  fire 
spirits  leap  from  below,  spreading  ruin  everywhere.  Yet 
after  the  destruction  Ygdrasil  shall  grow  again,  larger  and 
more  beautiful  than  before,  the  gods  will  reassemble,  men 
shall  live,  and  the  chain  of  being  will  be  carried  higher  than 
it  has  yet  reached. 

There  is  a  little  tree  known  as  the  sorb,  roan,  rowan,  or 
mountain  ash,  that  saved  the  life  of  Thor  when  he  was  swept 
away  by  a  flood  in  the  Vimur.  Feeling  himself  lifted  from 
his  feet  in  the  current,  he  laid  hold  on  the  tree,  and  so 
came  into  vogue  the  saying,  *Hhe  sorb  is  Thor's  salvation." 
For  a  long  time  after  the  North  was  nominally  converted, 
it  was  still  the  custom  for  ship-builders  to  put  at  least  one 
plank  of  sorb  into  the  hull  of  every  ship,  in  the  belief  that 
Thor  would  look  after  his  own. 

55 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

The  Scottish  Highlanders  put  a  cross  of  rowan  over 
their  doors  in  order  to  keep  their  cows  in  milk,  for  no  witch 
would  enter  where  this  cross  was  placed.  To '  make  the 
cattle  doubly  safe,  hoops  of  rowan  were  fashioned  that 
the  cows  might  be  driven  through  them  on  the  way  to  stable. 
Good  fairies  are  kind  to  children  who  carry  rowan  berries 
in  their  pockets,  for  these  berries  may  at  one  time  have 
been  prayer  beads,  the  occurrence  of  the  ash  near  Druid 
monuments  giving  rise  to  a  belief  that  it  was  sacred  in 
more  than  one  faith. 

In  Iceland,  the  tree  springs  from  the  graves  of  innocent 
persons  who  have  been  put  to  death,  and  lights  will  shine 
among  its  branches;  yet  it  is  a  mischievous  thing,  for 
whereas  Thor's  plank  will  save  a  Norwegian  ship,  it  will 
sink  one  made  in  Iceland ;  it  will  destroy  a  house,  moreover, 
and  if  buried  on  the  hearth  will  estrange  the  friends  who 
sit  around  it. 

The  variety  of  ash  called  the  service  tree,  which  is  related 
to  the  shad  bush  of  this  country,  has  edible  berries,  and 
yields  an  intoxicating  beverage.  As  the  spirit  of  this  tree 
watches  cattle,  a  Finnish  shepherd  wiU  sometimes  plant  a 
stick  of  it  in  his  pasture,  when  offering  prayers  for  the 
protection  of  his  stock. 

AVOCADO  PEAR 

The  avocado,  or  alligator  pear,  a  soft  and  rather  salve- 
like fruit,  used  pleasantly  in  salad,  was  a  favorite  food  of 
Seriokai  when  he  inhabited  the  wilds  of  Guiana,  and  he 
often  rambled  about  the  forests  of  the  Orinoco  gathering 
store  of  it.  During  one  of  these  excursions  the  tapir  saw 
the  woman,  fell  in  love  with  her,  and  at  last  won  her  heart. 
When  the  unsuspecting  Seriokai  went  to  gather  fruit,  as 
usual,  his  wife  followed  close  with  a  stone  ax,  for  cutting 

56 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

fuel.  As  the  man  was  descending  an  avocado  tree  she 
struck  at  him  so  vehemently  that  his  right  leg  fell  from  his 
body,  and  he  lay  helpless. 

Gathering  up  the  fruit,  the  woman  hurried  to  the  tapir's 
hiding-place,  and  the  wicked  couple  went  away  together. 
Seriokai  was  found  by  a  neighbor,  who  stanched  his  wound 
and  took  him  home,  where  he  was  nursed  back  to  health. 
So  soon  as  he  could,  he  mended  his  leg  with  a  wooden 
stump ;  then,  armed  with  bow  and  arrows,  he  started  after 
the  runaways.  Although  their  path  had  long  been  oblit- 
erated, the  Indian  traced  them  through  the  wilderness  by 
the  avocado  trees  that  had  sprung  from  the  seed  scattered 
by  the  faithless  wife. 

It  was  a  long  and  weary  following.  He  climbed  moun- 
tains and  forded  rivers,  but  always  there  were  avocado 
trees  stretching  away  and  away,  and  leading  him  nearer  to 
his  revenge.  The  trees  grew  smaller,  showing  that  they 
were  young.  They  shrank  to  saplings.  They  became  mere 
sprouts.  At  last  there  were  no  trees,  but  only  seeds,  and 
then  footprints.     And  so,  at  last,  he  overtook  them. 

The  outraged  husband  sent  an  arrow  through  the  body 
of  the  tapir  just  as  the  beast  bounded  off  from  the  edge  of 
the  world,  and,  seeing  her  companion  so  transfixed,  the 
woman  leaped  also.  Hot  in  his  thirst  for  vengeance,  Serio- 
kai followed,  and  he  still  hunts  the  unrepentant  ones 
through  space.  He  is  Orion,  the  woman  is  the  Pleiades,  and 
the  tapir  is  the  Hyades,  with  bloody  eye. 

BALM 

Garden  balm,  or  melissa,  cured  hypos  and  heart  troubles. 
Paracelsus  saw  in  it  the  elixir  of  life.  Taken  in  wine,  it 
cured  the  poison  of  snakes  and  of  rabid  animals.  Of  faith 
in  its  medicinal  virtue  we  have  a  tale  from  Staffordshire: 

67 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

It  was  the  Wandering  Jew  who  was  crossing  the  moors  on  a 
Whitsun  night,  suffering  from  thirst.  He  knocked  at  a 
cotter's  door  and  craved  a  cup  of  beer.  This  the  cotter 
gave  to  him,  and  the  Jew,  refreshed,  commented  on  the 
pallor  and  weakness  of  the  man.     ' '  You  are  ill  ? "  he  asked. 

*'Yes,  past  help.  It  is  a  consumption  will  end  me  pres- 
ently." 

*' Friend,  do  as  I  bid  you,  and  by  God's  help  you  shall 
be  whole.  In  the  morning  put  three  balm  leaves  in  a  pot 
of  thy  beer  and  drink  as  often  as  you  will.  On  every 
fourth  day  put  fresh  leaves  into  the  cup,  and  in  twelve  days 
you  will  be  whole." 

The  sick  man  pressed  the  stranger  to  stay  and  break 
bread  with  him,  but  the  Jew's  doom  of  unease  was  upon 
him,  and  he  rushed  away  into  the  night.  The  peasant 
culled  the  balm,  and  in  twelve  days  was  sound  in  health 
again;  wherefore  the  memory  of  the  man  who  has  been 
wandering  about  the  earth  since  the  crucifixion  is  not  wholly 
evil. 

BALM  OF  GILEAD 

It  is  said  that  not  an  ounce  of  true  balm  of  Gilead  leaves 
the  Turkish  empire,  although  it  was  long  an  article  of  com- 
merce. Joseph's  brothers  were  trading  in  it  when  an  excess 
of  the  business  spirit  prompted  them  to  sell  him  into 
slavery.  The  tree  amyris  yields  it  in  three  forms :  xylobal- 
samum,  which  is  obtained  by  steeping  the  new  twigs ;  carpo- 
balsamum,  expressed  from  the  fruit;  and  opobalsamum 
which  is  extracted  from  the  kernel.  The  best,  however,  is 
the  balm,  or  sap,  obtained  from  incisions  in  the  bark.  It 
was  believed  that,  so  powerful  was  this  substance,  if  one 
would  coat  his  finger  with  it  he  could  pass  it  through  fire 
or  even  set  fire  to  it  without  suffering.  Hence  we  continue 
to  use  the  phrase,  ** There  is  balm  in  Gilead,"  when  we 

58 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

would  signify  that  there  is  healing  and  comfort  for  the  ill 
and  afflicted.  In  the  East  the  balm  sweetened  the  bath,  for 
it  was  deemed  that  when  the  pores  of  the  skin  were  open, 
they  would  absorb  the  perfume  and  return  it  to  the  air.  It 
was  also  a  safeguard  against  plague. 

BASIL 

Basil,  or  sweet  basil  (ocymum),  bears  the  name  of  king 
(from  the  Greek,  hasileus),  for  reasons  unknown,  unless  it 
be  that  it  was  once  a  king  over  pain.  It  was  a  subject  of 
almost  fantastic  differences  of  opinion  between  medicine 
men  in  the  old  days,  some  declaring  that  it  was  a  poison, 
and  others  a  cure.  Some  hold  that  the  name  basil  is  short- 
ened from  basilisk,  a  fabulous  creature  that  could  kill  with 
a  look. 

In  India,  where  the  basil  is  native,  it  is  a  holy  herb,  dedi- 
cated to  Vishnu,  whose  wife,  Lakshmi,  it  is  in  disguise.  To 
break  a  sprig  of  the  plant  fills  him  with  pain,  and  he  com- 
monly denies  the  prayers  of  such  as  trespass  against  it ;  yet 
it  is  permitted  to  wear  the  seeds  as  a  rosary  and  to  remove 
a  leaf,  for  every  good  Hindu  goes  to  his  rest  with  a  basil 
leaf  on  his  breast,  which  he  has  only  to  show  at  the  gate 
of  heaven  to  be  admitted.  In  Persia  and  Malaysia  basil  is 
planted  on  graves  while  in  Egypt  women  scatter  the  flowers 
on  the  resting  places  of  their  dead.  These  faiths  and  ob- 
servances are  out  of  keeping  with  the  Greek  idea  that  it 
represented  hate  and  misfortune,  and  they  painted  poverty, 
in  apotheosis,  as  a  ragged  woman  with  a  basil  at  her  side. 

In  Roumania,  the  maid  who  has  set  her  cap  for  a  young 
man  will  surely  win  his  affection  if  she  can  get  him  to 
accept  a  sprig  of  basil  from  her  hand.  In  Moldavia,  too, 
if  he  so  accept  it,  his  wanderings  cease  from  that  hour,  and 
he  is  hopelessly  hers.     In  Crete,  where  it  is  cultivated  as  a 

59 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

house  plant,  it  symbolizes  "love  washed  with  tears/'  but 
in  parts  of  Italy  it  is  a  love-token,  and  goes  by  the  name 
of  little-love  and  kiss-me-Nicholas,  a  name  that  of  course 
invites  the  swain  when  he  discovers  it  in  the  hand  or  in  the 
hair  of  his  mistress.  Voigtlanders  hold  it  to  be  a  test  for 
purity,  as  it  withers  at  the  touch  of  the  unchaste. 

Isabella,  whose  story  has  been  told  by  Boccaccio,  Keats, 
and  Hunt,  in  tale,  poem,  and  picture,  was  a  maid  of  Mes- 
sina who,  left  to  her  own  resources  by  her  brothers — they 
being  rich  and  absorbed  in  business — found  solace  in  the 
company  of  Lorenzo,  the  comely  manager  of  their  enter- 
prises. The  brothers  noted  the  meetings,  but,  wishing  to 
avoid  a  scandal,  they  pretended  to  have  seen  nothing. 
Finally  they  bade  Lorenzo  to  a  festival  outside  of  the  city, 
and  there  slew  him.  They  told  their  sister  that  Lorenzo 
had  been  sent  on  a  long  journey,  but  when  days,  weeks, 
even  months,  had  passed,  she  could  no  longer  restrain  her 
uneasiness,  and  asked  when  he  would  return.  **What  do 
you  mean?"  demanded  one  of  the  brothers.  *'What  have 
you  in  common  with  such  as  Lorenzo  ?  Ask  for  him  farther, 
and  you  shall  be  answered  as  you  deserve.'* 

Isabella  kept  her  chamber  for  that  day,  a  victim  to  fears 
and  doubts ;  but  in  her  solitude  she  called  on  her  lover,  mak- 
ing piteous  moan  that  he  would  return.  And  he  did  so; 
for  when  she  had  fallen  asleep,  Lorenzo's  ghost  appeared, 
pale,  blood-drabbled,  with  garments  rent  and  mouldy,  and 
addressed  her:  ''Isabella,  I  can  never  return  to  you,  for 
on  the  day  we  saw  each  other  last  your  brothers  slew  me." 

After  telling  where  she  might  find  his  body,  the  speaker 
melted  into  air,  and  in  fright  she  awoke.  Unable  to  shake 
off  the  impression  of  the  scene,  she  fled  to  the  scene  of  the 
tragedy,  and  there,  in  a  space  of  ground  recently  disturbed, 
she  came  upon  Lorenzo,  lying  as  in  sleep,  for  there  was  a 
preserving  virtue  in  the  soil.     She  was  first  for  moving  the 


From  a  Copley  Print,  Copyright,  1898,  by  Curtis  &  Cameron 

ISABELLA    AND   THE    POT   OF    BASIL 

BY  JOHN  W.  ALEXANDER 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

corpse  to  holy  ground,  but  this  would  invite  discovery,  so 
with  a  knife  she  removed  the  head,  and,  borrowing  *  *  a  great 
and  goodly  pot, ' '  laid  it  therein,  folded  in  a  fair  linen  cloth, 
and  covered  it  with  earth.  Some  basil  of  Salerno  she  then 
planted,  and  it  was  her  comfort  to  guard  the  growing  plant 
sprung  from  her  lover's  flesh,  and  water  it  with  essences 
and  orange  water,  but  oftener  with  tears.  Tended  so  with 
love  and  care,  the  plant  grew  strong  and  filled  the  room 
with  sweetness.  Her  home-staying  and  the  pallor  of  weep- 
ing led  the  brothers  to  wonder,  and,  thinking  to  cure  her 
of  a  mental  malady,  they  took  away  the  flower.  She  cried 
unceasingly  for  its  return,  and  the  men,  still  marvelling, 
spilt  it  from  its  tub  to  find  if  she  had  hidden  anything 
beneath  its  root;  and  in  truth  she  had,  for  there  they 
found  the  mouldering  head  which,  by  its  fair  and  curling 
hair,  they  recognized  as  Lorenzo 's.  Realizing  that  the  mur- 
der had  been  discovered,  they  buried  the  relic  anew,  and 
fled  to  Naples.  Isabella  died  of  heart-emptiness,  still  la- 
menting her  pot  of  basil. 

BEAN 

By  what  mad  inversion  of  reasoning,  defiance  of  obser- 
vation, or  perversion  of  use  came  the  bean  into  its  ancient 
disrepute?  If  one  reads  the  records  truly,  it  begat  insan- 
ity; it  caused  nightmare;  to  dream  of  it  meant  trouble; 
even  ghosts  fled  shuddering  from  the  smell  of  beans.  The 
goddess  Ceres,  in  doing  good  to  men,  set  apart  the  bean 
as  unworthy  to  be  included  in  her  gifts.  The  oracles  would 
not  eat  it  lest  their  vision  be  clouded.  Hippocrates  was 
that  kind  of  physician  who  taught  avoidance  of  it,  lest  it 
injure  sight.  Cicero  would  none  of  it,  because  it  corrupted 
the  blood  and  inflamed  the  passions.  The  Roman  priests 
would  not  even  name  it,  as  a  thing  unholy. 

61 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

The  only  tradition  concerning  the  bean  relates  it  to  the 
philosopher  Pythagoras,  who  spread  among  the  Egyptians 
the  belief  that  on  leaving  their  bodies  certain  souls  became 
beans.  Believing,  then,  that  the  bean  was  half -human,  he 
refused  to  eat  it.  Being  pursued  by  enemies  who  required 
his  life,  because  he  was  reputed  to  be  a  magician,  he  came 
to  a  bean-field,  and,  recognizing  in  the  vines  only  fellow 
souls  that  he  could  not  trample,  he  stood  still  and  permitted 
himself  to  be  killed. 

BEECH 

In  Tusculum  the  hill  of  Corne  was  covered  with  beeches, 
curiously  round  like  evergreens  in  a  topiarian's  garden, 
and  dedicated  to  Diana,  to  worship  whom  the  people  came 
from  miles  around;  and  one  of  these  trees  was  a  favorite 
of  the  orator  Passenius  Crispus,  who  read  and  meditated 
in  its  shade,  embraced  it  familiarly,  and  often  testified  to 
his  regard  by  pouring  wine  on  its  roots.  It  was  of  beech 
that  Jason  built  the  Argo,  too — all  but  its  speaking  prow — 
and  Bacchus  quaffed  his  wine  from  beechen  bowls,  possibly 
cut  from  the  purple  beech,  which  shows  wine  stains  in  its 
leaves. 

Our  Indians  occasionally  buried  their  dead  in  trees 
and  under  them,  that  no  wild  animals  might  reach  the  bones, 
and  it  was  to  save  the  body  of  chief  Polan  that  it  was 
hidden  under  a  beech  after  the  battle  of  Sebago  Lake  in 
1756.  His  brothers  pried  the  tree  out  of  the  earth  till  a 
hollow  was  left  below  the  roots  in  which  they  placed  the 
dead  in  panoply  of  war,  his  silver  cross  on  his  breast,  and 
bow  and  arrows  in  his  hand ;  then  the  sapling  was  straight- 
ened, and  it  grew  to  a  fine  height,  feeding  on  the  corpse 
and  marking  the  resting  place  of  the  brave  with  a  noble 
monument. 

One  of  the  marriage  ceremonies  in  India  is  an  exchange 

62 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

between  bride  and  groom  of  a  betel  for  an  areca  nut.  The 
betel  is  esteemed  for  no  less  than  thirty  virtues,  which  pos- 
sibly become  implanted  in  those  who  chew  its  leaves  indus- 
triously. Indeed,  there  should  be  compensations  for  this 
employment,  and  one  of  them  is  that  it  dulls  appetite.  It 
is  said  that  among  the  wretchedly  poor  of  India  and  other 
eastern  lands  the  betel  is  chewed  less  to  sweeten  the  breath 
than  to  allay  the  bite  of  hunger.  In  the  belief  of  the 
Hindus  the  plant  was  brought  from  heaven  by  Arjoon,  who 
stole  it  from  a  tree  he  found  there.  In  memory  of  this 
performance,  the  Hindu  who  desires  to  plant  a  betel  steals 
the  shoot. 

BIRCH 

The  birch,  praised  as  lodge  and  canoe,  used  as  plate,  pail, 
basket,  and  cloak,  was  also  the  paper  for  the  books  of  Numa 
Pompilius,  written  seven  hundred  years  before  Christ,  and 
the  sybilline  leaves  bought  by  Tarquin  were  of  its  bark. 
And  it  must  have  been  highly  useful  in  the  past,  for  it  was 
variously  a  safeguard  against  lightning,  wounds,  barren- 
ness, gout,  the  evil  eye,  and  caterpillars.  The  fasces  of  the 
Roman  lictors — ^bundles  of  rods  with  battle  axes  in  the 
center — were  of  birch  wood,  and  its  expression  of  authority 
lingers  with  us,  though  the  schoolboy,  smarting  from  it, 
found  surcease  from  sorrow  in  nibbling  at  the  black  birches 
spicy  bark.  It  is  a  graceful  tree,  the  birch,  though  its 
dwarf  variety  has  never  regained  the  stature  it  enjoyed 
before  Christ  was  beaten  by  rods  of  it,  for  it  was  stunted, 
then,  with  shame. 

The  Russian  still  believes  the  tree  a  symbol  of  health, 
because  its  *'wine,"  or  sap,  is  a  **cure"  for  consumption, 
its  oil  a  lubricant,  its  bark  a  torch,  and  it  is  a  cleanser,  for 
in  the  sweat  baths  the  defendant  is  flogged  into  a  perspira- 
tion with  birch.     In  the  top  of  a  birch  the  Virgin  disclosed 

63 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

herself  to  the  faithful  of  Buian — a  disclosure  that  folk- 
lore associates  with  that  of  the  Wild  Woman  of  the  Wood, 
who  shows  herself  to  a  German  shepherdess,  asking  her  to 
stop  her  spinning,  and  dance.  The  shepherdess,  dazzled 
by  the  shining  white  of  the  stranger's  raiment,  and  admir- 
ing the  beauty  which  is  heightened  by  a  crown  of  wild  flow- 
ers, complies,  and  the  twain  dance  together  gleefully  for 
three  days,  the  Wild  Woman  stepping  so  lightly  that  she 
does  not  bend  the  grass.  Then  she  fills  the  girl's  pockets 
with  birch  leaves  that  turn  to  gold  as  soon  as  she  has  reached 
home.  In  Russia,  however,  the  genius  of  the  forest  is 
masculine,  and  is  invoked  by  cutting  down  young  birches, 
placing  them  with  points  inward,  in  a  circle,  then  standing 
in  the  inclosure  and  calling  him.  When  he  appears  he 
is  conducted  respectfully  to  a  seat  on  a  stump,  facing  the 
east ;  his  hand  is  kissed,  and  he  is  implored  to  grant  various 
favors,  which  he  does  willingly  enough  if  the  petitioner  will 
give  his  soul  in  return. 

BLACKBERRY 

Blackberries  are  luxuriant  in  Cornwall,  where  John 
Wesley,  preaching  to  the  poor  people  of  that  county,  had  to 
subsist  largely  on  the  fruit  he  picked  along  the  roadsides. 
**We  ought  to  be  thankful  that  there  are  plenty  of  black- 
berries," he  remarked  to  a  brother  in  the  church,  *'for 
this  is  the  best  county  I  ever  saw  for  getting  a  stomach, 
and  the  worst  I  ever  saw  for  getting  food."  It  is  in  that 
quarter  one  hears  the  story  of  the  Princess  Olwen,  fair 
daughter  of  a  dark,  sour  man,  and  twin  of  a  dark  and 
bitter  woman  who  in  nature  was  her  father  over  again. 
Between  the  two  girls  there  was  no  quarrel  till  the  king's 
son  stopped  at  their  door  to  beg  a  cup  of  milk :  for  it  was 
Olwen,  the  fair,  who  gave  it,  while  it  was  dark  and  jealous 

64 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Gertha  who  had  hoped  to  ensnare  him.  In  order  to  leave 
the  field  to  Gertha,  the  father  sent  Olwen  away  to  be  eared 
for  by  a  witch.  Of  course,  the  prince  went  back  in  a  day 
or  so  for  another  cup  of  milk,  and  was  so  visibly  sad  when 
Gertha  poured  it  for  him  that  she  hated  her  good  sister 
more  than  ever.  The  prince  soon  learned  where  Olwen 
had  been  sent,  and  went  to  see  her,  but  was  told  that  she 
had  died  and  that  a  blackberry,  blooming  out  of  season 
across  the  way,  marked  her  grave.  The  witch  had  turned 
the  girl  into  a  bush,  but  released  her  back  to  her  human 
form  when  the  prince  had  gone,  not  realizing  that  a  wizard's 
wit  is  as  good  as  a  witch's,  and  that  the  prince  had  an 
adviser  at  his  court  who  was  skilled  in  white  magic.  This 
man  of  science  put  the  prince  into  the  form  of  a  chough, 
that  he  might  fly  to  the  witch's  hut  and  see  what  would 
be  happening;  and  the  young  man  was  delighted  to  meet 
his  adored  Olwen,  released  from  her  bush,  and  willing,  when 
he  was  a  man  again,  to  go  with  him  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
They  were  making  desperate  love  when  they  were  discov- 
ered by  the  witch,  who  ended  the  meeting  by  changing  the 
girl  to  a  vine,  while  the  prince,  as  a  bird,  flew  to  his  palace. 
**Put  the  form  of  a  bramble  on  Olwen  forever,"  shouted 
the  wicked  old  parent,  when  he  learned  how  the  prince  had 
outwitted  him,  ''and  make  her  fruit  green  and  black  by 
turns,  and  sour,  and  the  stems  thorny."  But  the  court 
wizard,  as  he  disguised  his  lord  for  another  flight,  cautioned 
him,  *'To  your  love,  and  kiss  the  bloom,  and  when  the 
berry  is  sweetest,  bring  it."  And  when  the  berry  was 
black  and  shining  and  full  of  honey  the  prince  carried  it 
to  the  wizard,  who  undid  the  spell  of  the  witch  and  restored 
Olwen  to  her  own  fair  form. 

Perhaps  because  of  this  brief  association  with  virtue  the 
devil  hates  blackberries,  and,  having  nothing  better  to  do 
when  St.  Michael  had  defeated  him,  he  specially  cursed 
5  65 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  plant,  so  that  it  never  bears  fruit  till  St.  Michael's  day 
has  passed.  A  better  reason  for  the  devil's  hatred  is  that 
it  furnished  the  crown  of  thorns  that  pressed  the  brow  of 
Christ,  and  it  was  also  the  burning  bush  in  which  the  Lord 
appeared  to  Moses.  On  St.  Simon's  day,  October  28,  the 
fiend  stamps  around  the  blackberry  patches,  and  not  a  berry 
appears  after.  As  if  his  other  feats  of  villainy  were 
not  enough,  the  devil  throws  his  cloak  over  the  bushes  and 
withers  them  whenever  and  wherever  he  can,  though  in 
Ireland  it  is  not  the  arch-rascal,  but  Phooka,  one  of  his 
imps,  that  does  the  mischief.  If  you  have  loose  teeth,  snake 
bites,  rheumatism,  pop  eyes  **that  hang  out,"  and  a  few 
other  ailments,  eat  the  leaves  as  a  salad,  and  you  may 
feel  better;  and  if  you  burn  or  scald  yourself  apply  the 
leaves,  wet  with  spring  water,  saying,  **  There  came  three 
angels  out  of  the  East.  One  brought  fire  and  two  brought 
frost.  Out  fire  and  in  frost.  In  the  name  of  the  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.     Amen." 

BLOOD  TREE 

The  tree  with  whose  juice  the  Aztecs  dyed  their  cotton 
of  a  fine  dark  red,  and  which  their  descendants  tap  to- 
day, has  its  blood  legend :  In  Amatlan  lived  a  prince  whose 
delight  it  was  to  deck  himself  in  gold  and  precious  stones. 
He  had  a  corps  of  bandits  in  his  employ,  and  whenever 
a  merchant  went  from  one  town  to  another,  his  spies  in- 
formed him,  and,  doffing  the  raiment  of  a  prince,  he  rode 
with  his  company  to  a  defile  in  the  hills  or  the  depth  of  the 
woods  and  there  awaited  his  victim,  who  went  on  with  empty 
saddle-bags  and  an  aching  heart. 

"When  the  prince  had  shared  with  his  troopers,  reserving 
the  lion's  share  for  himself,  he  dismissed  his  band,  all  but 
a  single  slave,  with  whose  help  he  buried  his  treasure. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

As  the  slave  bent  to  place  the  plunder  in  the  pit,  the  prince 
slew  him,  tumbling  the  corpse  into  the  hollow  and  covering 
it,  with  his  own  hands,  for  the  ghost  of  a  person  buried  with 
treasure  would  guard  it  forever. 

For  years  the  prince  pursued  his  evil  course,  but  the 
Teckoning  came.  After  a  successful  foray  he  withdrew  to 
bury  the  loot,  after  his  fashion,  but  this  time  the  slave  who 
was  to  dig  the  pit  turned  suddenly  upon  his  master  and 
with  a  blow  of  a  spade  clove  his  skull.  He  flung  the  body 
into  the  cavity,  covered  it,  and  carried  away  the  treasure. 
And  presently  blood  trees  grew  above  every  pit  where  dis- 
honest money  had  been  hidden,  but  the  sap  of  the  tree 
that  sprang  from  the  grave  of  the  robber  prince  was  the 
deepest  red  of  all. 

BOX 

Box,  trimmed  in  grandfather's  garden  to  hedges  and 
borders,  and  in  older  pleasances  tortured  into  shapes  of 
animals,  decanters,  and  rolling-pins,  has  become  so  rare  in 
this  country  that  stout  plants  which  have  taken  a  hundred 
years  to  grow  are  valued  at  a  hundred  dollars  or  more.  As 
it  resembles  myrtle  or  bay,  the  box  was  regarded  with  appre- 
hension by  the  ancients,  for  they  feared  that  if  it  were 
used  by  mistake  for  that  other  tree  in  the  rites  of  Venus, 
that  goddess  would  revenge  herself  by  destroying  their  viril- 
ity. Boxwood  was  a  precious  stuff,  to  be  carved  and  inlaid 
with  ivory  for  jewel  caskets.  Its  branches  were  convenient 
for  the  Jews,  also,  when  they  would  celebrate  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles ;  and  to  this  practice  of  symbolizing  or  conven- 
tionalizing the  lodges  in  the  wilderness  with  a  green  bough 
may  be  due  that  of  masking  English  fireplaces  at  "Whitsun- 
tide with  foliage.  The  Turks  plant  the  tree  in  cemeteries, 
and  in  rural  England  it  was  till  lately  the  custom  to  cast 
sprigs  of  it  into  the  grave  at  burials. 

67 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

BRIONY 

In  mediaBval  Atri,  Italy,  stood  an  old  tower  with  briony 
striving  for  a  hold  on  its  wall.  And  this  vine  tells 
a  story  that  has  lived  through  several  centuries.  We  have 
Longfellow's  version  in  his  "Bell  of  Atri."  It  was  the 
king's  order,  proclaimed  through  the  region  by  heralds, 
that  if  any  citizen  suffered  wrong  he  was  to  ring  the  bell 
in  the  tower  and  demand  justice,  and  it  would  be  given  to 
him.  It  was  not  often  that  the  bell  rang,  for  the  people 
were  disposed  to  honesty  and  peace;  hence  the  bell-rope 
frayed  with  age,  and  some  one  tore  off  a  branch  of  the 
briony  and  braided  it  upon  the  end,  leaving  it  fresh  and 
green  and  covered  with  leaves. 

There  lived  in  Atri  a  knight  who,  from  a  joyous  and 
adventurous  youth,  had  lapsed  into  a  mean  and  saving  age. 
Of  the  relics  of  his  active  days  he  held  to  only  one — a  poor 
old  horse  outworn  in  his  service.  But  his  daily  thought 
was  how  to  save,  and  at  last  he  said,  ' '  This  horse  is  useless. 
The  pennies  I  squander  for  hay  could  as  easily  go  into  my 
cash-box.  There  is  plenty  of  grass.  He  shall  go  into  the 
roads  and  live  for  himself." 

So  the  equine  wreck  was  whipped  into  the  highway,  and 
the  stable  locked  against  him.  The  poor  beast  shambled 
on  till  he  came  to  the  bell-tower,  and  there  was  the  rope, 
new  mended  with  briony,  the  first  green,  inviting  thing  he 
had  seen  in  weeks.  He  laid  hold  of  it  in  earnest,  and  his 
tugging  caused  the  bell  to  rock  on  its  trunnions.  The 
people,  always  curious  as  to  trouble,  came  pouring  out  of 
their  houses  to  learn  of  the  matter.  Great  was  their  aston- 
ishment when  they  recognized  in  the  lean  old  hack,  ringing 
for  justice,  the  horse  of  the  miser  knight.  The  magistrate 
of  the  town,  reading  a  lesson  in  the  incident,  commented  on 
the  pride  that  went  forth  on  horseback  and  came  back  afoot. 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

adding  that  greatness  was  not  in  wealth  or  titles,  but  in 
deeds,  and  deeds  of  kindness  most.  On  being  told  what 
his  horse  had  done,  the  knight  was  not  much  disturbed,  and 
affected  to  treat  the  matter  lightly,  saying  that  he  could 
do  as  he  liked  with  his  own;  yet  for  shame's  sake  he  made 
no  resistance  when  the  multitude  marched  back  with  the 
animal  and  saw  him  safely  installed  in  the  stable  of  his 
owner.  The  people  exacted  an  assurance  that  he  would  be 
treated  with  better  humanity  in  future. 

BROOM 

Planta  genista,  or  broom,  has  lent  its  name  to  the 
Plantagenets  since  the  day  when  Geoffrey  of  Anjou  thrust 
it  into  his  helmet,  as  he  was  going  into  battle,  that  his  troops 
might  see  and  follow  him.  As  he  plucked  the  badge  from 
a  steep  bank,  which  its  roots  had  knit  together,  he  cried, 
**This  golden  plant  shall  be  my  cognizance,  rooted  firmly 
amid  rocks,  yet  upholding  what  is  ready  to  fall.  I  will 
maintain  it  on  the  field,  in  the  tourney,  and  in  the  court 
of  justice.''  Another  origin  is  claimed  for  the  heraldic 
use  of  this  yellow  flower  in  Brittany,  of  which  province  it 
is  the  badge.  There  a  prince  of  the  house  of  Anjou  assas- 
sinated his  brother  and  seized  his  kingdom,  but  derived  no 
comfort  from  the  power  and  riches  that  crime  had  won, 
so  that  he  was  fain  to  leave  his  castle  and  make  a  pilgrim- 
age of  repentance  to  Holy  Land.  Every  night  on  the 
journey  he  scourged  himself  soundly  with  a  brush  of 
** genets,"  or  genista.  Louis  XII  of  France  continued  the 
use  of  this  token,  and  his  bodyguard  of  a  hundred  nobles 
wore  the  broom-flower  on  their  coats,  with  the  motto,  '  *  God 
exalteth  the  humble." 

When  Christ  was  praying  in  Gethsemane  on  the  night 
before  the  tragedy  he  was  disturbed  by  the  sawing  and 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

crackling  of  a  broom  plant.  It  continued  its  noise  till 
those  who  sought  him  approached,  with  Judas  at  their  head, 
when,  seeing  the  array  of  swords  and  spears,  he  said  to  the 
broom,  *'May  you  always  burn  with  as  much  noise  as  you 
are  making  now."  It  was  the  broom  and  chick-pea,  also, 
that  by  their  rustling  and  snapping  so  nearly  disclosed 
the  hiding-place  of  Mary  and  Jesus  when  they  had  taken 
refuge  among  them  from  the  soldiers  of  Herod.  Hence  the 
plant  has  reason  for  the  humility  which  its  employment 
for  sweeping  continues  to  enforce,  and  it  has  additional 
disgrace  in  that  it  was  a  choice  of  witches  who  chose  to 
ride  abroad  on  it  at  night. 

BUGLOSS 

Among  the  plants  that  thrive  in  the  unlikeliest  of  places 
is  the  bugloss,  -with  its  furry  stems  and  juiceless-seeming 
leaves.  The  flowers  issue  as  magenta,  but  fade  to  a  blue 
of  quality  that  suggests  red  litmus  paper  after  it  has  been 
dipped  into  alkali.  It  was  anciently  held  to  be  a  plant  of 
lies,  because  the  root  of  one  variety,  anchusa  tiTictoria,  was 
used  to  falsify  the  complexions  of  fayre  ladyes.  It  pro- 
vided a  rouge  before  carmine  had  been  discovered.  In 
common  speech  the  plant  is  viper's  bugloss,  rather  than 
bugloss,  because  its  seeds  are  thought  to  resemble  snake 
heads,  that  likeness  under  the  doctrine  of  signatures  specify- 
ing it  as  a  cure  for  the  bites  of  serpents. 

CABBAGE 

It  has  become  generally  forgotten  that  the  man  in  the 
moon  was  sent  there  because  of  his  predilection  for  cab- 
bage. His  hankerings  for  this  fragrant  vegetable  had  be- 
come so  keen  that  one  evening  he  could  resist  them  no 

70 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

longer,  and,  having  no  cabbages  of  his  own,  he  filched  one 
from  his  neighbor.  Such  conduct  is  not  uncommon,  but 
this  particular  evening  happened  to  be  the  24th  of  Decem- 
ber, and  he  who  would  steal  cabbages  on  Christmas  eve  is 
worthy  to  be  translated.  He  was.  Comes  a  child  in  white, 
riding,  who  says,  ''Since  you  will  rob  on  this  holy  night, 
let  you  and  your  basket  go  to  the  moon!"  Whisk!  He 
was  lifted  beyond  all  temptation,  and  where  all  who  see  may 
offer  him  as  on  object  lesson  to  youth. 

But  there  is  another  legend  concerning  the  cabbage: 
Lycurgus,  prince  of  Thrace,  having  destroyed  the  vines 
in  Dionysius  's  vineyard,  was  bound  to  a  vine  as  punishment, 
and  he  lamented  his  lost  liberty  so  earnestly  that  his  tears 
had  substance  and  took  root  as  cabbages,  in  which  is  sym- 
bolized the  old  belief  that  the  cabbage  is  an  enemy  of  the 
grape  and  will  cure  intoxication.  Indeed,  the  cabbage  has 
been  held  as  an  enemy  of  all  other  plants,  because  it  draws 
to  itself  the  fatness  of  the  earth  and  starves  its  neighbors. 
It  was  so  sacred  a  plant,  despite  its  stupefying  properties 
and  its  smell  when  cooking  or  decaying,  that  the  lonians 
swore  their  oaths  upon  it;  and  fairies  travel  on  the  stalks, 
as  witches  do  on  broomsticks. 

CACTUS 

The  arms  of  Mexico  are  an  eagle  with  a  serpent  in  its 
beak,  resting  on  a  cactus.  When  the  Aztecs  set  off  on  their 
pilgrimage,  seeking  the  land  of  plenty  and  security,  their 
wise  men  told  them  to  build  where  they  should  find  an 
eagle,  a  snake,  and  a  cactus.  Reaching  what  is  called  by  the 
people  of  the  present  Mexico  City  the  plaza  of  Santo  Do- 
mingo, in  1312,  they  beheld  that  for  which  they  were  seek- 
ing, and  there  they  rested,  and  built,  laying  the  foundation 
for  a  finer  and  greater  state  than  they  had  dreamed. 

71 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Sorcerers  in  Peru  are  said  to  use  the  thorns  of  the  cactus 
to  accomplish  the  death  or  injury  of  people  at  a  distance, 
after  the  manner  known  to  Voodooists.  An  image  of  the 
person  to  be  afflicted  is  made  of  rags  or  clay,  and  this  the 
Peruvian  wonder-worker  jabs  with  cactus  thorns,  mutter- 
ing spells  the  while. 

The  cactus  stores  water  in  regions  almost  waterless, 
hence  it  is  precious  to  those  who  are  lost  in  the  desert ;  and 
it  also  exhibits  a  glory  of  bloom  that  is  little  appreciated 
by  those  who  live  in  countries  where  the  wild  flowers  are  of 
gentler  aspect.  Of  the  six  hundred  species,  we  make  use 
of  the  nopal  as  a  food  for  cochineal,  while  others  yield  fruit, 
fodder,  and  cordage.  It  is  believed  in  some  parts  of  the 
South  that  if  a  horse  rubs  against  a  cactus  and  is  pricked 
by  its  spines,  his  white  spots  will  be  poisoned,  whereas  if  he 
has  no  white  spots  he  will  not  suffer. 

CAMELIA 

This  flower  is  named  for  Kamel,  a  Moravian  Jesuit, 
who,  returning  to  Spain  from  the  Philippines  in  1639,  had 
audience  with  the  queen,  Maria  Theresa,  and  gave  into 
her  hands  a  glossy  shrub  bearing  two  flowers  of  intense 
white.  The  queen  accepted  the  gift,  and  immediately  dis- 
mantled it  of  its  blooms,  for  her  husband,  Ferdinand,  was 
pacing  the  next  room  in  a  fit  of  melancholy,  and  she  wished 
to  divert  his  thoughts.  Fortunately,  that  celebrity  was  in 
a  mood  to  be  pleased,  and  he  ordered  the  plant  to  the  royal 
greenhouses. 

The  camelia  is  a  type  of  purity,  since  it  is  not  only  of 
the  whiteness  of  snow,  but  is  devoid  of  odor.  Yet  the 
younger  Dumas  has  bestowed  a  sinister  meaning  on  it  by 
naming  the  erring  heroine  of  his  famous  play  Camille,  or, 
**the  lady  of  the  camelias." 

72 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

CAMPANULA 

Campanula  speculum,  also  known  as  bell  flower,  is  held 
to  resemble  an  ancient  mirror;  hence  its  name  of  Venus' 
looking-glass.  Venus,  it  seems,  owned  a  mirror  which  had 
the  power  of  adding  to  the  beauty  of  what  was  reflected  in 
it.  She  mislaid  this  treasure,  on  one  occasion,  and  it  was 
found  by  a  shepherd,  who,  suddenly  enraptured  of  his  own 
perfections,  stood  as  a  fixture,  gloating.  Cupid,  who  was 
seeking  the  glass,  came  upon  him,  and,  half  in  amusement, 
half  in  vexation  that  his  mother's  treasure  should  be  thus 
handled  by  a  yokel,  struck  it  out  of  his  fingers  and  left 
hun  wailing.  But  the  object,  being  divine,  left  its  impress 
on  the  sod  in  a  host  of  flowers — the  campanula. 

There  is  a  variety  of  this  flower  known  as  Canterbury 
bells,  which  takes  its  name  from  a  resemblance  to  the  bells 
rung  by  pilgrims  while  wending  toward  Canterbury  to  pray 
at  the  tomb  of  Thomas  a  Becket. 

CAMPHOR 

As  disclosed  in  one  Japanese  legend,  the  spirit  of  the 
camphor  tree  has  power  over  the  elements.  One  of  these 
trees,  a  big  and  gnarly  specimen,  stands  in  the  temple 
grove  at  Atami.  Here  once  lived  a  pious  hermit,  who  from 
his  place  of  meditation  could  look  over  the  water  and  warn 
the  sailors  of  coming  storms,  or  of  those  rufflings  of  the 
surface  that  indicated  the  incoming  of  a  school  of  herring. 
In  one  of  the  seasons  of  scarcity  the  priest,  weary  with 
praying  and  advising,  fell  asleep  and  dreamed  that  the  shore 
was  heaped  with  fish.  He  was  about  to  go  to  the  water  and 
give  thanks  to  the  sea  spirits,  when  he  awoke,  terrified  by 
a  roaring  and  hissing  and  the  uproll  of  vast  clouds  out  of 
the  sea.     A  volcano  had  exploded  under  the  ocean,  vapor 

73 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

darkened  with  dust  was  rushing  for  miles  into  the  air,  and 
the  steam  had  killed  the  fish,  which  lay  in  heaps  along 
the  beach.  The  ground  shook,  and  the  people,  half -choked 
with  steam  and  gas,  were  running  inland  in  alarm.  There 
was  a  great  lurch  in  the  ground  in  which  the  camphor  tree 
split  from  crown  to  root,  and  a  beautiful  figure  stepped 
from  the  trunk,  and,  holding  toward  the  hermit  a  branch 
which  the  earthquake  had  shaken  down,  bade  him  take  it, 
wave  it  three  times  above  the  boiling  ocean,  and  in  the  final 
turn  cast  it  into  the  water  in  the  name  of  the  goddess 
Kwanon,  the  lady  of  mercy. 

The  hermit  hurried  to  the  shore  and  in  a  loud  voice 
called  on  the  sea  to  be  calm,  whereupon  the  eruption  ceased, 
the  fish  swam  safely  once  more,  excepting  such  as  had  left 
their  bodies  to  feed  the  villagers,  and  there  was  peace. 
The  priests  say  that  the  goddess  who  emerged  from  the 
camphor  tree,  as  if  she  were  the  soul  of  it,  was  the  goddess 
Kwanon  herself. 

CANNA 

Our  canna,  with  its  pompous  banners  of  red,  is  dear 
to  the  oriental  in  that  its  seeds  are  the  beads  of  the  Indian 
rosary.  According  to  the  Burman,  the  canna  sprang  from 
sacred  blood.  The  diabolic  Dewadat,  jealous  of  Buddha's 
influence  and  fame,  and  hearing  that  he  was  to  undertake 
a  journey,  climbed  upon  a  hill  and  awaited  the  saint's  com- 
ing. He  had  poised  a  monstrous  boulder  at  the  brink  of 
a  slope,  and  when  the  object  of  his  hate  was  passing  the 
fiend  pushed  the  mass  over.  The  boulder  plunged  to 
Buddha's  very  feet,  where  it  burst  into  a  thousand  pieces. 
A  single  fragment,  striking  the  good  man 's  toe,  drew  blood, 
which,  as  it  soaked  into  the  earth,  arose  again — the  canna ; 
while  the  earth,  with  equal  sensibility,  opened  just  under 
the  feet  of  the  wretched  Dewadat  and  swallowed  him. 

74 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

CARNATION 

In  our  grandparents'  day  the  carnation  was  known  as 
the  pink,  because  the  more  popular  varieties  were  pink  in 
color.  In  that  very  fact  some  essayed  to  read  the  occasion 
for  its  later  name,  for  pink  is  the  hue  of  carne,  or  flesh ;  but 
we  are  also  told  that  carnation  is  no  more  than  coronation, 
because  the  spicy-smelling  blossom  was  used  for  crowns 
and  garlands  with  which  the  ancients  decked  themselves. 
The  flower  was  held  in  affection,  too,  because  cooks  had 
learned  to  use  it  as  a  seasoning  for  dishes,  and  experts  in 
drinking  also  found  that  it  gave  tang  to  beer  and  wine. 
The  flowers  were  candied,  like  rose-leaves,  and  these  con- 
serves ** wonderfully  above  measure  do  comfort  the  heart." 
There  is  a  popular  belief  that  the  plant  springs  from  the 
graves  of  lovers,  hence  it  has  come  to  be  used  as  a  funeral 
ornament ;  but  it  should  also  be  a  flower  of  rejoicing,  inas- 
much as  it  is  one  of  those  that  appeared  on  earth  for  the 
first  time  when  Christ  was  born. 

The  Italian  house  of  Ronsecco  displays  the  carnation  in 
its  armorial  bearings  for  the  reason  that  it  was  a  parting 
gift  of  the  countess  Margharita  Ronsecco  to  her  lover,  Or- 
lando, when  he  was  hurried  from  her  side  on  the  eve  of 
their  bridal,  to  rescue  Christ's  tomb  from  the  Saracens, 
A  year  later  a  soldier  brought  her  news  that  Orlando  had 
fallen  in  battle,  and  he  returned  the  lock  of  her  shining 
hair  that  Orlando  had  carried  as  his  talisman,  together  with 
the  withered  carnation,  which  his  blood  had  changed  from 
white  to  red.  Margharita  discovered  that  the  flower  had 
begun  to  set  its  seed,  and  these  she  planted  in  memory  of 
her  beloved.  The  plant  budded,  and  there  was  revealed  a 
white  flower,  such  as  she  had  given  to  her  knight,  but  with 
a  red  centre  like  none  ever  before  seen  in  a  carnation. 


75 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 


CAKOB 

There  is  a  Talmudie  legend  that  finds  its  counterpart 
in  the  folk-lore  of  half  the  world,  the  version  we  best  know 
being  "Rip  Van  Winkle."  The  Hebraic  narrative  sets 
forth  that  the  Rabbi  Chomi,  wandering  abroad,  came  upon 
an  old  man  who  was  planting  a  carob  by  the  wayside. 
Chomi  laughed  at  him  for  his  foolishness.  * '  Do  you  expect 
to  gather  fruit  from  it — you,  with  your  hair  of  white?  It 
takes  thirty  years  for  the  carob  to  ripen,  and  before  that 
time  you  will  be  gathered  to  your  fathers. ' ' 

**It  is  true,  master,"  replied  the  old  man  humbly.  *'I 
am  not  planting  for  myself.  I  have  eaten  carobs  that  other 
men  have  planted,  so  why  may  not  I  do  the  like  for  other 
men  ?     The  sons  of  my  sons  will  eat  of  this  and  thank  me. ' ' 

Chomi  wandered  till  he  was  overcome  by  weariness  and 
dropped  upon  the  earth  to  rest.  When  he  awoke  the  sun  was 
rising,  and,  grieving  for  the  anxiety  he  had  caused  to  his 
family  by  sleeping  in  the  field  all  night,  he  arose  and  began 
to  retrace  his  steps.  But  his  limbs  had  suddenly  grown 
weak  and  shrunken,  his  joints  were  stiff,  his  head  was 
heavy,  and  his  thoughts  were  slow.  After  a  time  he  came  to 
the  spot  where  he  had  met  the  old  man,  and  he  started  in 
wonder,  for  instead  of  a  sapling  there  was  a  great  carob, 
filled  with  ripened  pods.  A  boy  was  looking  up  at  it  with 
longing,  and  to  him  Chomi  put  the  question,  * '  Who  planted 
this  tree?" 

*'My  grandfather.  He  put  it  here  the  day  before  he 
died." 

Chomi  turned  away  and  resumed  his  journey,  doubting 
the  truth  of  his  senses.  Passing  his  hand  over  his  face, 
in  the  way  people  have  who  have  freshly  waked,  he  was 
startled  by  discovering  a  long  white  beard.  Arriving  at 
his  town,  he  did  not  know  a  single  face.    Yet  he  knew  the 

76 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

house  of  his  son  when  he  had  reached  it,  and  entered  there 
with  joy.  But  the  woman  nursing  an  infant  in  the  corner 
was  a  stranger  to  him,  and  the  bearded  man  who  turned 
to  question  him  he  had  never  seen  before.  *'I  ask  pardon 
for  my  mistake,"  the  rabbi  faltered.  *'I  took  this  for  my 
— for  the  house  of  Chomi's  son.'' 

**Chomi's  son  was  my  father,  and  both  he  and  Chomi 
have  been  dead  these  many  years." 

''Dead!     My  son!     Is  he,  then,  dead?" 

''Perhaps  you  knew  my  father,"  said  the  bearded  man. 
"If  so,  you  are  welcome." 

"Yes,  I  knew  Chomi." 

"How  could  that  be?" 

"I  am  Chomi." 

"Chomi?  Impossible!  It  is  seventy  years  since  he 
died.  He  wandered  away,  and  somewhere  in  the  wilder- 
ness he  fell  prey  to  beasts." 

"No,  no!    I  tell  you,  I  am  Chomi.     I  am  not  dead." 

He  grew  so  weak  that  he  could  no  longer  stand,  and 
his  grandson — for  the  bearded  man  was  the  son  of  Chomi 's 
son — supported  him  to  a  couch.  He  lingered  there  for  some 
days,  but  his  heart  was  heavy  and  his  soul  eager  for  the 
beyond.  And  so,  as  the  pods  were  opening  on  the  carob 
tree  that  had  been  planted  under  his  eye,  he  blessed  his 
survivors,  and  passed  into  the  everlasting  sleep. 


CEDAR 

When  the  fragrant  cedar  was  cut  for  Solomon's  temple 
and  cunningly  carved  by  artisans,  the  trees  grew  plentifully 
on  Lebanon,  but  they  are  now  disappearing  there  and 
everywhere  because  of  the  ruthlessness  of  men.  As  it  was 
a  tree  of  good  fortune,  much  of  its  wood  was  demanded  for 
figures  of  saints  and  gods — idols,  in  common  term.     The 

77 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

name,  ' '  life  from  the  dead, ' '  that  it  bore  two  thousand  years 
ago,  betokens  it  an  emblem  of  eternity,  but  this  name  may 
have  signified  no  more  than  that  its  oil  drove  insects  from 
the  tombs.  Because  of  its  preservative  qualities,  the  Egypt- 
ians used  it  for  mummy-cases,  and  it  has  proven  wonder- 
fully lasting,  for  carved  figures  of  a  supposed  age  of  three 
thousand  years  have  been  taken  from  the  burial  places  and 
may  be  seen  in  our  museums. 

In  a  Chinese  tradition,  the  king  of  a  country  set  his  evil 
eyes  on  the  wife  of  a  faithful  subject,  whom  he  threw  into 
prison  on  a  baseless  charge,  to  have  him  out  of  the  way, 
and  there  the  husband  died  of  grief,  while  the  unhappy 
woman  flung  herself  from  a  height  to  escape  the  hateful 
attentions  of  the  monarch.  Even  in  death  the  twain  were 
divided,  by  the  king's  order,  but  a  cedar  sprang  from  each 
of  the  graves,  as  if  to  reprove  and  lament  his  wickedness, 
and,  rising  to  a  vast  height,  interlaced  their  roots  and 
branches.  They  were  known  as  ''the  trees  of  the  faithful 
loves. '  * 

CHAMOMILE 

This  humble  and  rather  rank-smelling  wayside  plant, 
with  its  innocent,  daisy-like  flower  and  finely-cut  leaf,  is  an 
ingredient  in  a  tea  wherewith  ''granny  doctors"  used  to 
afflict  the  youth  of  the  country,  in  the  attempt  to  "break 
up  colds"  and  exercise  like  mercies.  It  is  hardy,  doing 
its  best  on  the  cold  and  foggy  shores  of  New  Brunswick, 
where  its  blossoms  vie  in  size  and  seemliness  with  those 
of  our  own  whiteweed  or  daisy.  It  has  a  wide  range, 
however,  and  was  esteemed  in  Egypt  to  the  degree  of  rever- 
ence, for  it  was  sanctified  to  the  gods.  Incidentally,  it 
cured  the  ague,  and  among  the  Romans  it  was  one  of  the 
innumerable  remedies  for  snake  bites. 


78 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

CHERRY  AND  PLUM 

It  surprises  the  stern  citizen  of  the  west  to  learn  that 
years  are  given  by  the  Japanese  to  such  a  matter  as  flower 
arrangement.  The  art  originated  in  Japan  with  Buddhism. 
In  the  fifteenth  century  Yoshimara  disclosed  his  system, 
which  he  had  developed  that  he  might  present  his  floral 
offerings  in  a  way  that  would  be  acceptable  to  the  gods. 
So  the  Japanese  are  pilgrims  to  cherry  groves  and  iris 
gardens,  they  decorate  their  houses,  they  devise  special 
flower  arrangements  for  feasts  and  seasons,  and  they  show 
the  stems  and  leaves  as  integral  in  beauty  and  importance 
with  the  blossoms.  Combinations  they  seldom  use,  for 
they  believe  that  the  single  flower  should  show  its  beauties 
to  the  full.  They  avoid  symmetry,  and  never  crowd  flowers 
into  masses. 

But  it  is  the  orchards  in  which  the  Japanese  most  de- 
light. April,  their  cherry  month,  instals  the  simple  pleas- 
ures of  the  year.  The  cherry  is  small  and  crooked  in  its 
native  hills,  but  skilful  nurserymen  have  evolved  from  that 
type  the  large  and  gorgeous  bouquets  on  stalks  that  are 
the  gathering-places  of  festive  companies.  The  newspapers 
announce  the  probable  date  of  the  buds'  opening  as  gravely 
as  an  American  newspaper  announces  the  opening  of  a 
social  season.  On  Sunday,  when  labor  leaves  its  tools,  and 
the  housewife  her  home  industries,  the  Japanese  throng  to 
the  parks  where  the  trees  are  flowering,  and  there  is  much 
eating  and  drinking,  much  singing  and  jollity. 

It  is  the  unfolding  of  the  plum  blossoms  that  really 
marks  the  spring  in  Japan,  and  this  is  a  great  occasion 
in  '*the  silver  world,''  as  the  plum  grove  near  Tokio  is 
called.  After  the  plum,  ''eldest  brother  of  the  hundred 
flowers,"  and  used  with  pine  and  bamboo  as  an  emblem 
of  long  happiness,  sheds  its  petals,  and  its  fragrance  be- 

79 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

comes  a  memory,  the  brighter  cherry  makes  the  wood's 
edge  gay  and  the  nightingale  sings  among  its  branches  in 
the  moon.  As  the  Japanese  cherry  has  no  food  value,  its 
fruit  being  small,  acid,  and  not  abundant,  and  its  bark 
alone  having  uses  in  the  arts,  its  perpetuation  is  due  to  the 
islanders'  keen  sense  of  color.  It  was  an  emperor  of  the 
fifth  century  who,  sailing  on  a  lake  beneath  the  cherries, 
held  forth  his  saki  cup  to  drink,  and  some  of  the  pink 
petals  fluttered  into  the  wine,  crowning  his  cup  as  the 
Romans  crowned  their  goblets  with  roses.  So  pretty  were 
these  silken  flakes  as  they  swam  on  the  saki,  that  the  em- 
peror kept  the  practice  of  taking  his  wine  beneath  the  trees 
at  every  season  of  bloom ;  hence  wine-drinking  is  now  a  part 
of  the  celebration. 

A  later  emperor,  who  praised  the  cherry  in  verse,  caused 
it  to  be  planted  abundantly  about  his  palace  and  so  estab- 
lished it  in  common  favor.  And  that  the  regard  for  its 
beauty  is  genuine  may  be  inferred  from  that  tablet  at  the 
Sumadera  monastery  which  bears  the  warning,  ''Whoever 
cuts  a  branch  from  this  tree  shall  lose  a  finger. ' '  The  gods 
of  the  woods  resent  an  injury  to  their  favorite  cherries, 
pines,  and  cedars,  and  the  maid  who  has  been  disappointed 
in  love  seeks  her  redress  by  presuming  on  that  fact.  If 
she  has  resigned  hope  of  winning  back  the  recreant  lover  she 
dresses  as  if  for  a  conquest,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  night 
attaches  three  lighted  candles  to  her  head  dress,  and  a  mir- 
ror to  her  neck.  In  her  left  hand  she  carries  a  straw 
image  which  represents  the  deceiver,  in  her  right  a  hammer 
and  nails ;  then,  in  the  temple  grove  she  nails  the  doll  to  a 
tree  and  prays  the  gods  to  take  the  traitor 's  life,  promising 
that  as  soon  as  this  is  done  she  will  draw  the  nails  and 
trouble  the  tree  and  the  gods  no  more.  For  several  nights 
she  goes  to  the  sacred  grove  and  repeats  her  prayers,  adding 
a  nail  at  each  visit,  confident  that  the  gods  will  sacri^ce 

80 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

a  life  in  a  land  where  lives  are  so  many,  to  keep  their  trees, 
that  are  so  few. 

It  was  to  support  the  cherry  at  lyo  that  one  Japanese 
gave  his  life.  He  was  a  soldier  who  in  youth  had  played 
under  its  branches,  and  yearly,  when  not  on  service,  sat  in 
its  rain  of  April  blossoms.  Time  passed,  and  he  attained 
great  age ;  his  wife,  his  children,  and  all  his  other  relatives 
were  dead.  All  that  linked  him  to  the  past  was  the  cherry 
tree.  One  summer  it  died.  In  this  he  seemed  to  read  the 
command  of  nature  to  himself.  The  people  planted  a 
young  and  handsome  tree  close  by,  and  he  pretended  to  be 
glad,  but  his  heart  was  sore.  When  winter  came,  he  bowed 
himself  under  the  dry  branches  and  said,  ''Honorable  tree, 
consent  to  bloom  once  more,  for  I  am  about  to  give  my  life 
for  you."  Then,  spreading  a  white  cloth  on  the  ground, 
he  committed  hari-kari,  and  as  his  blood  soaked  into  the 
roots  and  his  spirit  passed  into  the  sap,  his  tree  burst  into 
bloom.  And  every  year  it  blossoms  on  his  death  day,  even 
though  the  ground  is  white  and  all  other  trees  are  leafless. 

We  have  no  legends  of  the  cherry,  except  that  one  was 
cut  by  the  youthful  Washington,  but  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Weems,  who  gives  this  touching  and  ennobling  instance, 
has  been,  to  put  it  rudely,  discounted  by  the  historians. 
We  have,  however,  one  historic  fact  concerning  the  cherry 
that  is  worth  record,  because  it  affects  the  comings  and  go- 
ings of  millions  in  the  American  metropolis.  Broadway 
should  not  only  have  been  broad,  as  it  is  not,  but  straight, 
and  in  the  original  plan  it  was  so ;  but  where  Grace  Church 
stands  was  a  cherry  tree  beneath  which  Hendrick  Brevoort, 
tavern-keeper,  loved  to  smoke  his  pipe  on  warm  evenings. 
When  map-makers  arrived  with  a  street  plan  which  contem- 
plated the  extension  of  Broadway,  and  the  Herr  Brevoort 
found  that  it  ran  straight  across  the  roots  of  his  cherry 
tree,  he  went  to  the  officials  and  swore  it  was  not  to  be 

6  81 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

thought  of;  so  they,  realizing  that  the  city  would  never 
grow  so  far  as  his  tavern,  obligingly  diverted  the  street, 
and  he  peacefully  smoked  his  pipe  beneath  his  tree  for 
some  years  longer.  The  site  of  the  peaceful  inn  where  he 
sold  his  flip  and  mulled  his  ale  is  one  of  the  busiest  spots 
in  Gotham  to-day,  and  the  multitudes  who  follow  the  crook 
of  the  street  westward  as  they  go  up-town  do  not  know  that 
they  are  turned  out  of  a  straight  path  by  a  cherry  tree  that 
died  long,  long  ago. 

The  plum  is  held  by  our  Pawnees  to  symbolize  plenty, 
but  in  parts  of  Europe  it  is  held  to  be  unlucky,  because  its 
stone  is  said  to  inclose  the  damned  soul  of  a  suicide.  The 
mjTPobalan  plum,  too  harsh  for  food,  but  used  as  medicine, 
was  no  such  matter  to  the  Hindu,  for  the  wife  of  Soma- 
carman  struck  it  thrice  with  her  wand,  whereupon  she 
ascended  as  an  eagle  and  alighted  on  a  golden  hill  in  a  city 
of  gold.  Like  all  stone  fruits,  the  cherry  and  plum  con- 
tain a  trifle  of  prussic  acid,  most  virulent  of  poisons; 
hence  their  reputation  and  effect  may  be  related. 


CHESTNUT 

We  in  America  have  done  little  to  keep  our  chestnut 
in  favor  by  trying  to  improve  its  size  and  quality,  but 
in  Europe  the  tree  is  so  well  esteemed  that  venerable  speci- 
mens receive  all  the  care  that  is  given  to  famous  oaks  and 
elms.  One  in  the  grounds  of  Tortworth  Castle  is  a  thou- 
sand years  old,  and  was  noted  for  its  size  in  the  eleventh 
century.  A  group  of  five  chestnuts  on  ^tna,  that  grew  into 
a  single  tree  a  hundred  years  ago,  making  a  trunk  seventy 
feet  thick,  was  known  as  the  Tree  of  a  Hundred  Horsemen. 
It  has  been  suffered  to  fall  into  ruin,  but  is  perpetuated 
in  old  accounts  and  engravings.  It  was  on  the  chestnut  that 
Xenophon's  army  lived  during  the  retreat,  and  indications 

82 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

of  a  sacred  significance  are  found  in  the  solemn  eating  of  it 
on  St.  Simon 's  day,  and  distribution  to  the  poor  on  the  feast 
of  St.  Martin. 

What  we  know  as  the  horse-chestnut  is  thought  to  have 
obtained  its  name  from  the  likeness  to  a  horse's  hoof  in 
the  leaf  cicatrix;  indeed,  it  may  have  been  in  accord  with 
the  doctrine  of  signatures  that  the  nuts,  crushed  as  a  meal, 
were  given  to  horses  for  various  diseases.  The  horse- 
chestnut  originated,  however,  in  Turkey,  where  it  was 
created  by  a  Mahometan  saint — Akyazli.  This  anchorite, 
desiring  to  roast  his  meat,  thrust  a  stick  into  the  earth  to 
support  it  over  the  fire,  and  such  was  his  sanctity  that 
heaven  caused  the  wood  to  strike  into  the  earth  and  increase 
to  the  tree  we  know. 

CHICORY 

In  the  meadows  about  our  New  England  towns,  there  is 
in  summer  a  pretty  show  of  pink  and  blue  blossoms,  shaped 
like  those  of  the  dandelion,  but  growing  from  scraggy 
plants:  the  chicory,  or  succory.  Its  leaves,  when  young 
and  tender,  are  pleasant  as  a  salad,  but  it  is  somewhat  out 
of  estimation  because  it  has  become  a  common  adulterant 
for  coffee. 

The  plentiful  rays  of  the  flower  make  it  almost  inevitable 
that  it  should  have  become  the  subject  of  a  sun  legend, 
and  we  find  it  in  Roumania,  where  Florilor,  ''the  lady  of 
the  flowers" — a  name  she  enjoyed  in  virtue  of  her  gentleness 
and  surpassing  beauty — attracted,  first  the  notice,  then  the 
admiration  of  the  sun  god,  who  descended  from  the  skies 
to  make  love  to  her.  Realizing  the  disparity  in  their  posi- 
tions, and  doubting  if  he  meant  marriage,  Florilor  repelled 
him,  to  his  indignation  and  astonishment.  In  retaliation 
for  the  slight,  he  commanded  her  to  become  a  flower.  She 
took  the  form  of  chicory,  in  which  shape  she  is  compelled 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

not  only  to  observe  the  sun  from  dawn  to  dark,  but,  as 
in  mockery,  to  wear  his  likeness.  So  its  old  names  are  sun- 
follower  and  bride  of  the  sun,  and  the  Germans  name  it 
the  way-light. 

For  centuries  the  plant  has  been  prized  as  a  love  potion, 
the  seed  being  secretly  administered  by  the  lover  to  his  mis- 
tress to  secure  her  affection.  In  a  German  story,  a  girl 
whose  lover  had  gone  away  on  a  voyage  devoted  her  life 
thereafter  to  sitting  at  the  wayside  and  looking  for  him. 
She  kept  her  watch  so  constantly  that  she  finally  took  root 
and  became  the  pale  blue  flower  known  as  the  watcher  of  the 
road.  One  version  of  the  story  attributes  the  woman's 
desertion  to  good  cause,  and  where  that  idea  prevails  the 
plant  is  known  as  the  accursed  maid. 

CHRYSANTHEMUM 

In  246  B.C.  the  throne  of  China  was  occupied  by  a  cruel 
monarch,  who  learned  that  in  the  islands  off  his  coast  was 
a  rare  plant  that  would  yield  an  elixir  of  life.  But  only 
the  pure  in  heart  could  touch  it  without  causing  it  to  lose 
its  virtues.  Evidently  the  emperor  himself  could  not  do 
the  errand,  nor  could  he  rely  on  his  court;  but  a  young 
doctor  in  his  employ  suggested  that  three  hundred  young 
men  and  three  hundred  girls  should  undertake  to  cross  the 
narrow  seas  and  search  for  the  flower.  The  emperor  ap- 
proved the  plan,  and  ere  many  days  the  expedition  was 
on  its  way  to  what  is  now  Japan.  Whether  they  ever 
found  the  flower  we  do  not  know,  but  the  junks  never  reap- 
peared, and  the  emperor  died.  But  there  is  a  notion  that, 
having  landed  on  the  pleasant  islands  out  of  his  majesty's 
reach,  the  physician  concerned  himself  a  great  deal  more 
with  furthering  flirtations  than  he  did  with  even  so  glorious 
a  bloom  as  the  chrysanthemum — if  he  found  it.     He  may 

84 


Copyright  by  Underwood  &  Underwood,  New  York 


PLASTER   FIGURE    DECORATED    WITH    DWARF    CHRYSANTHEMUMS 
AT   THE   FLOWER   FESTIVAL,  TOKYO 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

have  selfishly  extracted  its  juices  for  his  own  advantage. 
It  is  a  part  of  the  legend  that  he  knew  when  he  was  well 
off,  and  that  he  remained  king  of  the  new  country,  which 
his  followers  replenished  with  a  stock  more  moral,  able, 
and  vigorous  than  they  had  left  in  China. 

But  the  chrysanthemum  is  of  Chinese  origin,  and  was 
introduced  into  Japan  only  a  couple  of  thousand  years  ago. 
It  became  the  national  flower  in  the  fourteenth  century 
after  a  '*war  of  the  chrysanthemums''  that  may  be  likened 
to  the  war  of  the  roses,  save  that,  owing  to  the  lack  of 
quick-killing  devices,  it  lasted  for  fifty-six  years.  The 
kiku,  as  it  is  called,  symbolizes  the  sun,  and  in  the  orderly 
unfolding  of  its  petals  marks  perfection,  a  like  symbolism 
being  denoted  in  the  crystal  balls  which  the  Japanese  cut 
so  skilfully,  as  they  stand  for  the  orb  of  the  sun,  betokened 
on  Japan's  flag.  The  flower  is  less  varied  in  the  Mikado's 
country  than  in  ours,  where  new  strains  are  sold  for  extra- 
ordinary sums,  but  it  grows  in  beauty  and  abundance  and 
is  admired  by  all  classes,  the  commonalty  cheerfully  paying 
their  two  and  a  half  cents  a  head  to  see  the  annual  show 
in  the  Dango-Zaka,  or  florists'  quarter  of  Tokio  where 
figures  shaped  of  withes  and  plaster  are  clothed  entirely 
in  chrysanthemums,  which  likewise  become  figures  of 
animals  and  boats,  and  are  even  placed  on  floral  waves 
as  foam.  This  is  topary  at  its  most  grotesque,  though 
the  flowers  are  not  cut,  but  rooted  in  the  straw  with  which 
the  figures  are  stuffed.  Every  night  the  exhibits  are 
drenched  with  water,  and  in  this  way  the  flowers  are  kept 
for  weeks.  Flowers  are  sold  cheaply  at  this  great  bazar 
and  in  the  gardens  whole  acres  blaze  with  red,  white,  and 
yellow.  The  Japanese  have  two  hundred  and  fifty  varieties 
of  chrysanthemum,  but  other  florists  are  creating  new 
strains  with  bewildering  frequency,  by  the  crossing  of 
forms  and  colors,  symmetrical  and  ragged,  prim  and  flam- 

85 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

boyant,  streaked,  spotted,  and  single-hued,  straight  and 
curled,  a  foot  wide  or  an  inch.  Our  catalogues  show  more 
than  five  hundred  varieties,  one  of  which  is  green  and  one 
lavender,  the  nearest  that  the  flower  can  approach  to  blue. 
Extreme  oddities  are  so  far  removed  from  nature's  intent 
with  the  flower  that  they  seldom  produce  seed;  yet  many 
thrifty  forms  of  to-day  did  not  exist  twenty-five  years  ago. 
It  is  said  that  blossoms  are  made  to  show  color  on  one-half 
the  disk  and  white  on  the  other  by  covering  up  the  latter 
half  so  that  the  sun  shall  not  strike  it.  The  plant  has  been 
urged  into  bushes  twelve  feet  high,  and  it  has  been  en- 
couraged to  hide  close  to  the  earth  and  put  out  stars  no 
bigger  than  buttercups.  Coming  at  the  ripeness  of  the 
year,  it  symbolizes  human  perfection.  Its  lasting  qualities 
give  to  it  a  meaning  of  longevity  which  is  taken  literally  in 
Kai,  where  a  certain  stream  is  bordered  with  these  flowers. 
As  the  petals  fall  into  the  water,  the  people  drink  of  it, 
believing  that  it  will  increase  their  days  on  earth,  and  to 
the  same  end  they  sometimes  place  chrysanthemum  petals  in 
their  wine  cups. 

Chrysanthemums  grow  all  over  the  Mikado's  empire, 
save  in  Himaji,  where  it  is  ill  luck  to  raise  them,  for  this 
reason :  In  a  castle  of  thirty  towers  in  that  city  lived  a  lord 
who  employed  a  servant  named  Okiku  (kiku,  chrysanthe- 
mum,) to  look  after  his  bronzes,  figures  of  brass,  jewels, 
shrines,  carvings,  crystals,  porcelains,  and  other  works  of 
art.  Among  these  objects  were  ten  dishes  of  gold.  In 
counting  the  dishes  one  morning  she  discovered  that  one 
was  missing,  and,  though  innocent  of  its  loss,  she  so  dreaded 
her  employer's  anger  that  she  cast  herself  into  a  well.  Her 
ghost  returns  nightly  to  count  the  golden  dishes,  and  cries 
loudly  when  it  has  counted  nine,  so  distressing  the  populace 
that  Okiku 's  flower — the  spectre  plant — is  no  longer  grown 
there. 

86 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

CINCHONA 

Quinine — known  also  as  Jesuits'  bark,  Peruvian  bark, 
and  cinchona — has  been  a  popular  medicine  for  nearly  a 
century.  Its  virtues  were  discovered  in  a  singular  manner, 
according  to  the  legend:  A  high  wind  had  thrown  some 
cinchona  trees  into  a  pool  which  had  been  used  by  certain 
people  as  a  reservoir.  They  noted  the  unusual  harshness 
of  the  water,  and  sought  a  supply  elsewhere.  One  man 
who  had  fallen  ill  of  a  fever,  being  consumed  with  thirst 
and  wandering  near  the  tarn  where  the  trees  were  steeping, 
went  face  downward  at  the  shore  and  drank  greedily.  He 
began  to  mend  of  his  illness  directly,  and  went  about  telling 
of  the  bark  that  had  imparted  its  virtues  to  the  water. 
Its  curative  powers  being  thus  made  known  to  the  Countess 
of  Cinchon,  vice-queen  of  Peru,  she  caused  the  bark  to 
be  powdered  and  experimented  with  by  the  faculty,  the 
drug  being  therefore  known  originally  as  ** countess'  pow- 
der," and  so  introduced  to  Europe. 

CINNAMON 

The  spice  which  is  known  as  cinnamon  is  the  inner  bark 
of  the  laurus  cinnamonunij  whose  leaves,  woven  into 
wreaths,  decked  the  temples  of  Rome,  while  an  oil  extracted 
from  the  wood  was  used  to  anoint  the  sacred  vessels  and  the 
persons  of  the  priests  themselves  in  the  Hebrew  taber- 
nacles. So  greatly  was  the  bark  esteemed  in  Arabia  that 
only  priests  were  allowed  to  collect  it,  and  they  were  re- 
quired to  give  the  first  bundle  to  the  sun  god,  placing  it 
on  his  altar,  where  he  was  expected  to  light  it  with  a  ray 
of  fire.  As  cinnamon  most  abounded  in  valleys  where 
poisonous  serpents  were,  the  men  who  gathered  it  were 
forced  to  wear  bandages  on  their  hands  and  feet  to  protect 

87 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

them  against  stings,  and  this  fashion  of  reserving  it  from 
the  touch  of  naked  flesh  may  have  had  its  part  in  sustain- 
ing its  aristocratic  reputation. 

CITRON 

Such  popularity  as  the  citron  has,  among  those  who 
use  it  as  an  addition  to  their  dietary,  is  due  to  the  Jews, 
who  carry  it  to  the  synagogue,  in  the  left  hand,  during  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles,  and  eat  it  as  a  conserve  during  that 
observance.  It  was  regarded  almost  with  reverence  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  for  it  was  so  powerful  an  antidote  for  poisons 
that  criminals,  condemned  to  die  by  snake  bite,  often  ate 
freely  of  citrons  and  returned  from  the  ordeal  in  health  and 
gayety  of  spirits,  leaving  the  authorities  in  sad  plight  as 
to  what  to  do  with  them,  since,  having  been  bitten  by  law, 
they  were  legally  dead.  In  India  the  citron  was  carried 
by  widows  going  to  immolation  in  the  suttee,  and  probably 
in  that  case  it  symbolized  life  turned  bitter  because  of  the 
death  of  the  mate. 

CLEMATIS 

Our  clematis,  once  called  love,  for  its  clinging  habit, 
was  also  traveller's  joy,  because  it  afforded  shade  for  inn 
porches  and  at  roadsides  where  the  wayfarer  might  refresh 
himself.  Wild  vine,  smoking  cane,  tombacca,  devil's  cut, 
devil 's  twine,  Bohemian  plant,  ladies '  bower,  virgin 's  bower, 
old  man's  beard,  and  beggar's  plant  are  other  and  puz- 
zling names.  Tombacca  and  smoking  cane  indicate  the 
use  of  its  stems  as  filling  for  pipes  and  substitutes  for 
cigars,  as  boys  occasionally  smoke  rattan.  The  gray,  in- 
substantial down  that  floats  the  seeds  to  new  anchorage 
justifies  the  comparison  with  an  old  man's  beard,  and  the 
apparently  insulting  name  of  beggar's  plant  came  from  the 
practice  of  professional  mendicants  abroad,  who  rub  its 

88 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

leaves  on  cuts  made  for  the  purpose  till  they  have  created 
ulcers  of  hideous  aspect.  The  plant  secretes  an  irritating 
juice  that  causes  a  superficial  sore,  and  where  pauperism 
is  encouraged  by  miscellaneous  giving,  an  invented  affliction 
of  this  nature  appeals  to  the  charitable  as  strongly  as  do 
pretended  lameness  and  assumed  blindness. 

CLOVER  AND  SHAMROCK 

The  considerable  family  of  which  clover  is  the  type  is 
widely  distributed  and  highly  useful.  Honey  is  made  from 
the  clover  of  our  fields,  and  the  deliciously  fragrant  wild 
clover,  that  forms  bushes  six  feet  high,  is  a  common  haunt 
of  bumble-bees.  The  long-headed  crimson  variety  lately 
introduced  into  the  Eastern  States  makes  a  field  of  color 
as  brilliant  as  a  flower  garden.  The  leaves,  too,  are  as 
oddly  marked  as  are  those  of  ornamental  plants.  At  the 
quaint  cemetery  of  St.  Roch,  in  New  Orleans,  you  are 
sometimes  accosted  by  children  who  ask  if  you  will  buy 
clovers  with  Jesus'  blood  on  them.  You  pay  your  nickel 
only  to  discover,  shortly  after,  that  patches  of  the  plant 
with  a  red,  heart-shaped  spot  on  the  upper  side  of  the  leaf 
are  to  be  found  all  over  the  cemetery.  Although  this  is 
called  the  mark  of  Jesus'  blood,  there  is  no  local  or  other 
warrant  for  such  a  tradition.  On  the  contrary,  the  old 
people  of  the  French  quarter  recall  the  tale  they  had  of 
their  parents,  to  the  effect  that  a  girl  who  died  on  the 
eve  of  her  marriage  was  buried  here,  in  old  St.  Roch,  and 
in  despair  her  lover  shot  himself  beside  her  tomb.  His 
blood  flowed  over  the  sod,  and  all  the  clover  that  grew  there 
afterward  had  the  spot  of  red  on  its  leaves. 

Clover  has  long  been  esteemed  a  flower  of  good  luck 
when  it  has  four  leaves  instead  of  three,  and  we  still  use  the 
phrase  *'in  clover"  to  denote  good  fortune  and  plenty, 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

although  that  symbol  expresses  rather  the  joy  of  grazing 
animals  on  being  turned  loose  in  a  field  of  it  than  any  super- 
stition as  to  luck.  Those  wise  in  visions  tell  us  that  even 
to  dream  of  clover  is  fortunate. 

The  clover  which  we  call  wood  sorrel  was  anciently  a 
charm  against  snakes  and  other  poison-dealing  creatures; 
and  witches,  too,  would  none  of  it.  On  going  into  fights 
soldiers  would  tie  a  sprig  about  their  sword-arms,  or  to  the 
handles  of  their  blades,  that  they  might  be  secure  from  the 
foul  strokes  of  enemies  who  had  black  and  secret  ways 
of  killing.  The  Arabic  word  for  the  trefoil  is  shamrak, 
and  Persia  makes  it  sacred  as  ''emblematic  of  the  Persian 
Triads."  Our  wood  sorrel  is  white  with  faint  ruddy  or 
purple  streaks  in  the  petals.  A  pink  variety  appears  in 
England  earlier  than  the  white,  but,  as  in  other  flowers, 
the  farther  north  we  go,  the  more  of  white  appears  in  the 
flower,  bluebells  being  white  in  Russia,  and  red  campion 
emulating  the  snow  in  Arctic  lands.  "Wood  sorrel  is  "the 
hallelujah"  in  Spain  and  Italy,  because  of  its  blossoming 
when  the  Hallelujah  is  sung,  after  Easter ;  the  Welsh  name 
it  fairy  bells;  the  Scots  call  it  hearts  and  gowk's  meat. 
Cuckoo  sorrel  is  a  common  name  for  it  in  the  British  islands, 
where  it  appears  when  the  cuckoo  begins  to  sing. 

Among  the  plants  one  no  longer  eats  is  this  same  wood 
sorrel,  once  used  as  a  salad.  Sheep  or  field  sorrel,  which 
is  of  a  different  botanical  family,  is  still  used  as  greens, 
though  it  is  sharp  to  the  untrained  palate. 

The  acid  of  wood  sorrel  (oxalic,  from  the  botanical  name 
of  the  plant,  oxalis)  is  extracted  as  **  salt  of  lemons,"  a 
chemical  in  some  demand  for  commercial  purposes,  but  a 
rank  poison.  Its  leaves  yield  five  per  cent,  of  acid.  Be- 
cause of  their  heart  shape,  the  doctrine  of  signatures  pre- 
scribed them  as  a  remedy  for  heart  troubles.  The  variety 
cultivated  in  Bolivia  as  oca  has  a  tuberous  root  as  well 

90 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

prized  as  the  artichoke;  another  four-leaved  variety  is 
used  on  Mexican  tables;  the  Peruvian  species,  arracha,  is 
also  eaten,  both  root  and  leaf  stalk. 

Wood  sorrel  is  held  by  many  to  be  the  original  sham- 
rock, as  its  Persian  name  implies,  although  the  plant  com- 
monly worn  as  such  on  the  17th  of  March,  when  all  the 
world  bows  to  St.  Patrick,  is  Dutch  clover.  It  is  a  little 
disconcerting  that  the  authorities  are  not  a  unit  as  to  what 
shamrock  is.  The  Erse  word  seamrog  is  from  seamar,  three- 
leaved,  and  og,  meaning  small.  It  occurs  variously  as 
seamrog,  seamsog,  seamroge,  shamrote,  shamrocke,  shamrug, 
seamar-oge,  and  chambroch.  The  plant  actually  used  by  St. 
Patrick  may  have  been  Dutch  clover,  or  trifolium  repens,  or 
tri folium  minus,  or  wood  sorrel.  Early  references  to  it  in 
Irish  literature  represent  it  as  a  food  plant.  Campion,  in 
his  history  of  the  island,  printed  in  1571,  speaking  of 
''shamrotes,  water  cresses,  and  other  herbes  they  feed 
upon."  Matthias  Lobel,  a  Flemish  botanist,  tells  of  the 
purple  and  white  trefoil,  and  says  of  the  white  variety 
that  it  is  good  for  fattening  cattle,  but  that  it  is  also  ground 
into  meal  for  consumption  by  the  peasantry.  Spenser,  the 
poet,  also  relates  how,  during  the  wars  of  Munster,  the 
people  escaped  starvation  by  feeding  on  cress  and  *'sham- 
rokes";  and  Fjoies  Moryson  describes  them  as  devouring 
this  herb  of  sharp  taste,  the  acrid  wood  sorrel,  one  may 
fancy,  **  which  as  they  run  and  are  chased  to  and  fro,  they 
snatch  like  beasts  out  of  the  ditches."  If,  however,  the 
ditches  contained  water,  the  plant  was  probably  cress,  which 
we  still  use  as  a  garnish  to  our  meat. 

The  religious  association  of  the  shamrock,  and  its  adop- 
tion as  the  emblem  of  Ireland,  is  due  to  an  inspiration  of 
the  pioneer  of  Christianity  in  that  country :  After  his  land- 
ing St.  Patrick  found  his  pagan  subjects  in  deep  trouble 
over  the  Trinity.     Preach  and  argue  as  he  might,  he  could 

91 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

not  prevail  on  them  to  accept  its  possibility  till,  looking 
down  on  the  earth,  in  the  course  of  one  of  his  homilies, 
he  chanced  to  spy  the  little  divided  leaf  of  the  shamrock. 
It  exemplified  his  point  to  a  nicety.  Stooping,  he  plucked 
it  and  showed  how,  though  a  leaf,  it  was  yet  three  leaves 
in  one.  After  the  Irish  accepted  Christianity,  they  used 
the  shamrock  as  their  sign,  the  three  leaves  typing,  in  their 
formulary,  the  national  virtues  of  love,  heroism,  and  wit. 
The  leaf  was  already  in  general  use  as  a  defense  against 
witchcraft  in  St.  Patrick's  time,  and  many  a  peasant 
plucked  a  trefoil  before  he  ventured  across  the  moors  and 
bogs  where  banshees  cried  and  fairies  stole  the  souls  of  way- 
farers. It  was  the  power  of  the  shamrock,  indeed,  over 
poisonous  and  maleficent  things,  that  enabled  St.  Patrick 
to  drive  the  snakes  from  Ireland,  for  he  had  only  to  hold 
it  toward  them  to  see  them  go  scuttling  into  the  sea. 

COLUMBINE 

The  pretty  flowers  of  scarlet,  red,  purple,  and  white 
that  grow  on  our  rocky  hillsides  and  also  make  a  handsome 
show  in  our  gardens,  take  their  name  of  columbine  from 
the  Latin  columba,  sl  dove.  The  scientific  name  of  aquilegia 
shows  that  it  suggests  quite  another  sort  of  bird  from  the 
dove  to  some  observers,  for  that  is  derived  from  aquila,  an 
eagle.  Its  old  name  of  lion's  herb  points  to  a  belief  that 
it  was  ' '  a  favorite  plant  of  lions. ' ' 

An  association  has  been  formed  to  make  this  the  national 
flower  of  the  United  States,  as  the  rose  is  the  flower  of 
England  and  the  lily  of  France,  for  its  common  name  sug- 
gests Columbus  and  Columbia,  its  botanical  name  associates 
it  with  the  bird  of  freedom,  it  can  be  raised  from  seed  in 
almost  any  of  our  gardens,  and  it  is  native  to  nearly  all 
of  our  States. 

92 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

CORNEL 

The  Rome  of  centuries-to-be  having  visioned  itself  in 
splendor  before  the  imagination  of  Romulus,  that  founder 
of  empire  began  to  set  bounds  and  sites  for  its  defenses, 
and,  wishing  to  advance  the  walls  to  the  Palatine,  he  hurled 
his  spear  from  a  distance  and  saw  it  plunge  into  the  earth 
upon  that  hill.  The  handle  of  the  weapon  was  cornel  wood, 
and  where  it  struck  the  earth  it  put  forth  roots  and  branches 
and  so  became  a  great  and  thrifty  thing,  foreshadowing 
in  its  growth  the  spread  and  strength  of  the  Roman  state. 
It  came  to  be  so  vehemently  regarded  by  the  populace  that 
if  any  one  observed  it  in  a  drooping  condition,  as  would 
happen  now  and  then  in  a  hot  and  drouthy  season,  he  set 
up  a  shout  of  alarm  that  brought  the  citizens  hurrying  to 
its  rescue  with  pails  of  water. 

The  Greeks  have  it  that  the  first  cornel  (cornus  mas- 
cula),  or  Cornelian  cherry,  sprang  from  the  grave  of  Poly- 
dorus,  who  was  slain  by  Polymnestor,  and  that  it  dripped 
blood  when  -^neas  tried  to  tear  its  limbs  from  the  trunk. 

CORNFLOWER 

Since  the  German  imperial  family  *s  adoption  of  the 
centaurea  kyanus,  it  has  gained  in  popularity  on  both  sides 
of  the  sea.  Queen  Louise,  of  Prussia,  flying  from  Berlin 
before  the  advance  of  the  first  Napoleon,  hid  in  a  field  of 
grain  with  her  children,  and  beguiled  the  tedium  by  braid- 
ing cornflowers  into  wreaths  for  their  little  heads.  The 
blue  flower  was  remembered  by  one  of  those  children,  the 
gruff  old  Emperor  William,  who,  when  he  retaliated  on 
the  French  by  conquering  the  third  Napoleon,  made  the 
centaurea  his  emblem,  and  it  was  adopted  by  his  people, 
in  whose  fields  it  grows  abundantly.  Like  the  poppy,  which 
also  grows  in  the  grain,  the  cornflower  is  thought  to  have 

93 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

its  origin  in  the  east.  Among  its  names  are  blue  bottle,  blue 
cap,  blue  bonnet,  blue  bow,  bluet,  flake  flower,  bachelor's 
button,  and  hurt  sickle.  In  its  name  it  commemorates  the 
centaur  Chiron  who,  poisoned  by  an  arrow  dipped  in  the 
blood  of  the  hundred-headed  hydra,  covered  the  wound  with 
its  flowers  and  so  recovered.  The  hydra  legend  persists 
vaguely  in  a  belief  that  if  cornflower  is  burned  snakes  will 
fly  the  premises.  The  qualifying  adjective,  kyanus,  com- 
memorates a  Greek  youth  who  worshipped  Flora  with  ardor 
and  was  forever  gathering  flowers  for  her  altars.  When 
he  died,  in  a  field,  with  unfinished  garlands  strewn  about 
him,  the  goddess  gave  his  name  to  the  blossoms,  and  they 
were  known  as  the  kyanus. 

COTTON 

According  to  the  story  of  a  colored  ''auntie,"  this  is 
the  beginning  of  cotton:  ]\Iany  years  ago  there  lived  at  a 
swamp's  edge  a  tiny  fairy  who  occupied  her  time  in  spin- 
ning, and  made  the  most  beautiful  and  delicate  fabrics 
imaginable.  Her  wheel  whirled  so  fast  that  it  was  nothing 
but  a  blur,  such  as  a  fly's  wings  make  when  he  is  tangled 
in  a  flower,  and  her  spindle  was  the  sting  of  a  bumble-bee — 
her  uncle — who  had  left  it  to  her,  for  any  good  use,  in 
amends  for  a  life  so  grouchy  that  none  of  the  other  creat- 
ures would  have  anything  to  do  with  him. 

Still,  one  inhabitant  of  the  swamp  was  worse  than  the 
bee,  and  the  fairy  was  as  mightily  disturbed  when  she  dis- 
covered that  he  had  taken  up  his  abode  on  the  very  next 
bush.  He  was  an  enormous  spider,  big  as  a  bird  and  hide- 
ously gorgeous  with  red,  blue,  and  yellow.  He  took  some 
pride  of  himself  as  a  spinner,  but  when  he  saw  the  shining 
tissue  that  the  fairy  was  weaving,  he  realized  that  his  own 
art  was  cheap  and  poor  in  comparison,  and  he  was  jealous, 
and  determined  to  destroy  her.     She  caught  up  her  wheel 

94 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

and  spindle  and  ran,  with  the  spider  in  pursuit.  She  asked 
the  mouse  for  shelter,  but  he  was  afraid  and  shut  the  door ; 
she  begged  the  toad  to  protect  her,  but  he  only  ran  out  his 
tongue.  Finally  a  firefly  came  along,  with  his  lantern  lit. 
He  saw  the  fairy;  he  saw  the  spider;  and,  calling  on  the 
fairy  to  follow,  he  fled  with  her  across  the  field,  lighting 
the  way,  for  it  was  now  night.  They  soon  reached  a  bush 
that  bore  a  handsome  pink  blossom.  *'Jump  into  the 
flower ! ' '  commanded  the  firefly.  Still  clutching  her  wheel, 
the  fairy  put  her  last  strength  into  a  spring  and  alighted 
in  the  heart  of  the  blossom.  The  spider  was  close  upon 
her,  but  as  he  put  his  ugly  claw  on  the  lower  petal  to  draw 
himself  up  after  her,  she  gave  him  such  a  stab  in  the  leg 
with  her  spindle  that  he  lost  his  hold  and  fell  to  the  ground. 
In  another  second  the  flower  closed  over  the  fairy,  gather- 
ing its  petals  so  tightly  that  the  spider  could  not  get  in. 
He  wove  his  web  about  it,  believing  that  he  would  catch  her 
when  she  ventured  out  in  the  morning ;  but  when  morning 
came,  she  did  not  appear.  The  spider  kept  watch;  but 
finally  the  petals  dropped  to  the  earth,  and  when  he  saw 
no  fairy  he  knew  it  was  all  up,  so  he  bit  his  own  body,  and 
died.  But  the  fairy  was  not  dead.  She  remained  snuggled 
in  the  little  ball  that  the  plant  put  out  behind  the  blossom, 
and  in  a  few  days  the  ball  opened,  and  all  the  beautiful 
fabric  she  had  been  spinning  while  in  hiding  poured  out  in 
a  tassel  of  snowy  white.  And  men  wove  the  threads  to  make 
garments  for  themselves,  and  they  bless  the  fairy  of  the 
cotton  plant  and  are  glad  when  she  escapes  the  weevil  as 
well  as  the  spider. 

CROCUS 

The  crocus,  first  gem  of  the  earth  in  spring,  we  prize 
for  its  beauty  only ;  but  the  little  bloom  was  once  valued  for 
other  reasons.  The  stigmas  of  the  saffron  crocus,  the  fall 
variety,  were  a  cordial,  and  the  juice  of  the  flower  was 

95 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

esteemed  by  the  women  of  Rome  as  a  hair-dye,  for  which 
latter  reason  it  was  disapproved  by  the  fathers  of  the 
Church.  Henry  VIII.  forbade  the  use  of  crocus  as  a  dye 
for  linen  by  the  Irish,  who  had  formerly  employed  it  for 
this  purpose,  believing  that  cloth  so  colored  did  not  require 
to  be  washed  as  often  as  white,  and  that  the  stain  had 
some  sanitary  virtue.  Until  recently,  safi:ron  gave  a  lively 
hue  to  cakes,  and  in  cookery  during  the  six  weeks  of  Lenten 
fast  it  kept  up  the  spirits  of  the  public,  although  the  faith 
that  it  would  do  so  may  signify  no  more  than  that  the 
ancients  used  it  to  decorate  their  banquet-rooms  and  tables 
and  wreathe  about  their  wine-cups,  for  the  effect  of  banquets 
and  wine  is  to  lift  the  spirits.  In  Cashmere,  saffron  was 
long  a  monopoly  of  the  rajah,  but  an  English  traveller,  who 
penetrated  the  country  as  a  pilgrim  in  the  day  of  Edward 
III.,  stole  a  bulb  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  concealed  it  in  his 
hollow  staff,  and  so  reached  his  home  in  Walden,  where  he 
planted  it,  and  such  a  harvest  of  flowers  came  from  that 
single  root  that  the  place  has  been  Saffron  Walden  ever 
since.  The  plant  and  its  dye  were  greatly  esteemed  in 
India,  and  it  is  said  that  when  in  their  wars  the  rajahs 
saw  themselves  doomed  to  defeat  they  put  on  their  saffron 
robes  of  state,  gathered  their  unhappy  wives  about  them, 
and  submitted  to  be  burned  to  death. 

The  spring  crocus  was  so  named  by  the  botanist  Theo- 
phrastus,  who  applied  the  Greek  word  kroke,  or  thread,  to 
its  stigma,  but  tradition,  old  in  his  day,  had  it  that  the 
flower  sprang  from  the  warmth  of  Jove's  body  on  a  bank 
where  he  had  lain  with  Juno  on  Mount  Ida.  Yet  another 
legend  has  it  that  saffron  is  that  child  Krokos  who,  being 
accidentally  killed  by  a  quoit  flung  from  the  hand  of  Mer- 
cury, was  dipped  into  celestial  dew  and  changed  into  a 
flower,  while  our  spring  crocus  came  from  some  drops  of  the 
©lixir  of  life  that  Medea  was  preparing  for  the  aged  .^son. 

96 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

CROWFOOT 

This  cheery  yellow  flower  from  Illyria  has  its  counter- 
part in  the  buttercup,  or,  if  you  like  the  old  English  names 
better,  the  king's  cup,  gold  cup,  gold  knobs,  leopard's  foot, 
and  cuckoo  bud.  These  ranunculi — the  botanical  name 
from  rana,  a  frog,  shows  that  they  like  to  grow  where  frogs 
are  plenty — are  acrid,  and  cattle  avoid  them,  as  a  rule; 
but  the  crowfoot  is  alleged  by  Pliny  to  have  this  merit: 
that  it  stirs  the  eater  into  such  a  gale  of  laughter  that  he 
scarce  contains  himself;  in  fact,  unless  he  drinks  pineapple 
kernels  and  pepper  in  date  wine,  he  may  guffaw  his  way 
into  the  next  world  in  a  most  unseemly  manner. 

With  one  species  of  the  plant  the  ancients  smeared  their 
arrows,  to  poison  them,  yet  the  root  of  another  kind,  the 
double  crowfoot,  or  St.  Anthony,  would  cure  the  plague  if 
rubbed  on  the  spot  most  affected,  and  was  good  for  lunacy 
if  applied  to  the  neck  in  the  wane  of  the  moon,  when  it 
was  in  the  sign  of  the  bull  or  the  scorpion. 

CROWN  IMPERIAL 

The  golden  cups  of  the  crown  imperial,  or  fritillary, 
are  held  to  resemble  a  crown  when  viewed  in  mass,  and 
the  commanding  aspect  of  the  plant  lends  color  to  its 
claim  of  empire  over  the  lesser  creatures  of  the  garden. 
This  Persian  lily  was  a  queen  whose  beauty,  instead  of 
contenting  her  husband,  the  king,  made  him  jealous,  and 
in  a  moment  of  anger  and  suspicion  he  drove  her  from  his 
palace.  She,  conscious  of  her  innocence,  wept  so  constantly 
at  this  injustice,  as  she  wandered  about  the  fields,  that  her 
very  substance  shrunk  to  the  measure  of  a  plant,  and  at 
last,  in  mercy,  the  Divine  One  rooted  her  feet  where  she 
7  97 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

had  paused  and  changed  her  to  the  crown  imperial,  still 
bearing  in  its  blossoms  somewhat  of  the  dignity  and  com- 
mand she  had  worn  in  her  human  guise. 

CUCUMBER 

As  a  phallic  emblem,  the  cucumber  symbolized  fecundity, 
and  of  the  sixty  thousand  offspring  of  Sagara's  wife,  in 
the  Buddhist  legend,  the  first  was  a  cucumber,  whose  de- 
scendant climbed  to  heaven  on  his  own  vine.  Jews  and 
Egyptians  revelled  in  cucumbers,  but  at  the  contemplation 
of  them,  the  English  owned  to  a  fright,  that  lasted  for  cen- 
turies, not  daring  to  taste  lest  they  should  **kill  by  their 
natural  coldness."  **Cool  as  a  cucumber"  is  a  common 
saying,  and  as  the  fruit  is  mostly  water  its  malignity  has 
been  exaggerated. 

CYPRESS 

Cyparissos,  a  boy  much  liked  by  Apollo,  was  in  turn 
attached,  not  to  a  god,  but  to  a  stalwart  playmate — a  stag 
that  grazed  on  sacred  Ceos.  Having  killed  the  animal  in 
an  accident,  he  begged  the  gods  to  let  him  mourn  forever, 
and,  that  he  might  do  so  comfortably,  Apollo  changed  him 
to  a  cypress,  dark,  drooping,  distilling  tearful  dews.  Venus 
wreathed  twigs  of  the  cypress  for  her  brow  when  she 
mourned  Adonis ;  the  tragic  muse,  Melpomene,  was  crowned 
with  it;  and  its  wood  coffined  the  Egyptian  mummies. 
Still,  it  was  also  used  for  roofing  temples,  which  are  for 
the  worship  of  the  principle  of  life,  no  less  than  for  con- 
solation in  death,  for  it  was  fragrant  and  strong  and 
lasting. 

A  cypress  near  the  tomb  of  Persian  Cyrus  had  the  un- 
happy faculty  of  leaking  blood  every  Friday — the  Ma- 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

hornet  an  Sabbath — hence  it  was  an  object  of  veneration ;  but 
elsewhere  it  was  freely  cut  and  is  thought  to  be  the  gopher 
wood  of  which  Noah's  ark  was  made.  As  its  cone  shape 
suggested  flame  to  the  Oriental,  it  was  planted  before 
temples  of  the  fire  worshippers  in  Persia,  and  Zoroaster 
himself  lived  in  its  shadow.  Even  in  Cyprus — so  named  for 
the  tree — it  was  worshipped  as  the  symbol  of  a  god.  Ceres 
plugged  the  crater  of  ^tna  with  it  and  thus  imprisoned 
Vulcan  at  his  forges  beneath  the  mountain.  The  oldest 
tree  in  Europe  is  held  to  be  a  cypress  at  Somma,  Lombardy, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-one  feet  high  and  well  grown  in 
Caesar's  day.  Napoleon,  who  spared  so  little,  allowed  it  to 
remain  when  he  built  his  road  across  the  Simplon. 

DAHLIA 

Josephine,  empress  of  the  French,  was  born  on  the 
West  Indian  island  of  Martinique,  but  though  this  is  within 
easy  reach  of  Mexico,  the  birthplace  of  the  dahlia,  she  never 
knew  the  flower  till  she  had  gone  to  France.  The  Swedish 
botanist,  Dahl,  had  done  so  much  for  its  cultivation  and 
improvement  that  his  name  was  bestowed  on  the  plant,  and 
it  bloomed  in  such  splendor  at  Malmaison,  where  Josephine 
planted  it  with  her  own  hands,  that  she  declared  it  her 
favorite  flower.  She  invited  princes  and  ministers  to  visit 
Malmaison  that  they  might  see  it,  but  she  would  not  allow 
a  bloom,  a  seed,  or  a  root  to  go  out  of  her  possession.  A 
Polish  prince  who  possibly  would  not  have  lifted  his  hand 
to  pick  one  of  the  blossoms  had  they  been  free  for  all  comers 
bribed  a  gardener  to  steal  a  hundred  of  them,  paying  him  a 
louis  apiece.  After  this  Josephine  petulantly  refused  to 
cultivate  them  any  longer. 


99 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

DAISY 

The  wee,  crimson  tippit  flower  of  Burns,  and  known 
to  the  English  as  the  daisy,  is  with  us  a  pot  and  bedding 
plant,  save  where  it  has  made  an  escape  from  gardens, 
which  is  not  to  a  large  extent  as  yet.  Our  own  daisy 
is  a  more  glorious  creature — the  white  weed,  detested  by 
farmers,  but  beautiful  in  their  fields  in  June.  It  is  near  to 
the  chrysanthemum  in  form  and  height  and  leaf,  and  is  so 
plentiful  and  so  lovely  that  it  should  have  a  better  con- 
sideration in  the  discussion  respecting  the  choice  of  a 
national  flower. 

The  French  and  German  name  of  marguerite  is  per- 
missibly applied  to  the  daisy  because  that  means  pearl, 
and  signifies  the  delicate  whiteness  of  its  petals.  It  also 
wears  that  name  in  honor  of  one  of  the  six  Saints  Margaret : 
the  daughter  of  a  heathen  priest  who  drove  her  from  his 
home  in  Antioch  when  she  would  not  renounce  the  Christian 
faith.  The  devotee  became  St.  Margaret  of  the  Dragon, 
and  her  flower  appropriately  bears  her  name  because  in  her 
prayers  and  meditations  she  always  kept  her  face  toward 
heaven.  Various  Marguerites  of  history  have  made  the 
daisy  their  flower  also.  She  of  Anjou  had  her  courtiers 
broider  it  on  their  cloaks  and  robes.  Queen  Margaret, 
mother  of  Henry  YII.,  wore  three  white  daisies.  Margaret, 
sister  of  Francis  I.,  wore  it.  And  it  is  also  claimed  as  the 
flower  of  the  **maid  Marguerite,  meek  and  mild,'*  of  An- 
tioch, whose  prayers  for  women  about  to  become  mothers 
saved  many  lives  and  enshrined  her  in  their  loves.  Bellis, 
the  botanical  term  for  the  old  world  daisy,  comes  from 
the  Belides,  dryads  of  the  mythologic  age,  one  of  whom, 
while  dancing  on  the  green,  was  seen  by  Yertumnus,  god  of 
spring.  That  observer,  smitten  with  a  sudden  passion, 
ran  forward  to  clasp  the  white  and  graceful  creature  in 

100 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

his  arms,  when,  to  his  grief  and  wonder,  she  turned  an  eye 
of  fear  and  aversion  on  him,  and,  through  divine  aid  in  the 
transformation,  sank  to  the  earth  in  the  form  of  the  little 
daisy. 

The  daisy  has  several  names  in  Europe  that  commend 
themselves  for  quaintness  or  poetry.  The  Welsh  call  it 
trembling  star ;  the  Scottish  go  wan  means  the  same  as  bellis ; 
the  French  have  christened  it  the  little  Easter  flower,  and 
the  German  name  of  Easter  bowl  also  allies  it  to  the  Norse 
divinity,  Ostara,  goddess  of  spring — whence  our  word  Easter. 
Other  German  names  are  little  goose  flower,  Mary's  flower, 
a-thousand-charms,  meadow  pearl,  and  measure  of  love. 
The  last  name  comes  from  the  practice  of  maids  who  have 
given  their  hearts,  without  knowing  whether  they  are  to 
get  them  back  again,  and  who  resort  to  the  flower  to  read 
the  fortune  of  their  affection,  repeating  Marguerite's  for- 
mula, ''He  loves  me — loves  me  not,"  as  they  pull  off  petal 
after  petal.  The  last  petal  and  the  last  phrase  determine 
the  situation — unless  the  young  man  in  the  case  determines 
otherwise. 

DANDELION 

An  Algonquin  tale  of  the  love  of  the  south  wind  for 
the  dandelion,  which  is  made  in  likeness  of  the  sun :  Shawon- 
dasee,  the  south  wind,  heavy,  drowsy,  lazy,  likes  to  lie  in  the 
shade  of  live  oaks  and  magnolias,  inhaling  the  odor  of 
blossoms  and  filling  his  lungs  so  full  of  it  that  when  he 
breathes  again  you  detect  the  perfume.  One  day  Shawon- 
dasee,  gazing  over  his  fields  with  a  sleepy  eye,  saw  at  a 
distance  a  slender  girl  with  yellow  hair.  He  admired  her, 
and  but  for  his  heaviness  he  would  even  have  called  her 
to  his  side.  Next  morning  he  looked  again,  and  she  was 
istill  there,  more  beautiful  than  ever.  Every  day  he  looked, 
and  his  ^ve  sparkled  when  he  saw  the  maid  in  the  warm 

101 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

green  prairie.  But  one  morning  lie  rubbed  bis  eyes  and 
looked  hard  a  second  time,  for  be  did  not  trust  tbem 
at  first:  A  woman  was  standing  wbere  the  maid  bad  been 
at  sundown,  but  what  a  cbange !  The  youtb  was  gone,  the 
brightness  fled.  Instead  of  a  crown  of  golden  glory,  here 
was  a  faded  creature  wearing  a  poll  of  gray.  *'Ah," 
sighed  Shawondasee,  ''my  brother,  the  North  Wind,  has 
been  here  in  the  night.  He  has  put  his  cruel  hand  upon 
her  head,  and  whitened  it  with  frost.'*  Shawondasee  put 
out  such  a  mighty  sigh  that  it  reached  the  spot  where  the 
girl  had  stood,  and  behold!  her  white  hair  fell  from  her 
head,  tossed  off  upon  that  breath,  and  she  was  gone.  Others 
like  her  came,  and  the  earth  is  glad  with  them ;  but  in  the 
spring  Shawondasee  sighs  unceasingly  for  the  maiden  with 
the  yellow  hair  as  he  first  saw  her. 

Dandelion  is  a  corruption  of  dent  de  lion,  or  lion's 
tooth,  and  the  plant  is  so  called  because  the  leaf  does  not  in 
the  least  resemble  a  lion 's  tooth  or  any  one  else 's.  As  a  lion 
was  once  a  sjnnbol  of  the  sun,  and  as  the  flower  suggests 
that  luminary,  the  association  of  the  plant  with  the  lion  is 
more  excusable  on  such  a  ground  than  on  that  of  a  resem- 
blance between  its  leaf  and  teeth. 

DHAK 

The  palassa,  or  parana,  or  dhak  tree  of  India  (hutea 
frondosa),  sprang  from  the  lightning,  and  its  triple  leaf 
is  held  to  typify  the  thunderbolt,  therein  resembling  the 
rod  of  the  fire-carrier,  Mercury.  It  is  employed  by  the 
people  of  the  east  in  such  ceremonies  as  the  blessing  of 
cattle  and  sheep,  to  make  them  rich  in  milk  and  wool. 

In  some  accounts  the  dhak  yields  the  nectar  of  the 
Hindu  gods,  the  soma  (see  soma),  which  perpetuates  life, 
and  in  the  Vedas  it  grew  from  a  feather  dropped  by  a 

102 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

falcon  that  had  stolen  soma  from  the  demons  who  guarded 
it.  One  of  the  angry  fiends  shot  an  arrow  after  the  bird, 
causing  the  plume  to  fall,  take  root,  and  yield  the  fluid  for 
which  the  gods  were  athirst.  It  yields  red  sap  and  red 
bloom,  symbols  of  the  divine  fire,  and  as  the  falcon  was 
sacred,  the  tree  born  of  its  feather  became  sacred  also. 

EBONY 

The  heavy  black  wood  of  which  so  many  canes  and 
•batons  have  been  made  was  the  subject  of  an  uncanny 
superstition  in  the  time  of  Sir  John  Mandeville,  that  ready 
believer,  or  awful  prevaricator.  It  was  that  the  wood 
changed  to  flesh  at  certain  times,  and  yielded  an  oil  which, 
if  it  were  put  away  and  kept  for  one  year,  would  change 
into  ''good  flesh  and  bone,''  though  of  what  animal  the  his- 
torian forgot  to  tell  us.  The  blackness  of  ebony  has  made 
it  a  frequent  figure  in  our  language,  as  when  we  speak  of 
ebon  night  and  the  ebon-hued  negro.  It  was  fitting  that 
the  throne  of  Pluto,  in  the  nether  world,  should  be  carved 
from  this  timber,  and  the  Pythian  Apollo  is  also  said  to  have 
been  shaped  from  it,  as  were  the  statues  of  many  of  the 
Egyptian  gods. 

EDELWEISS 

Edelweiss  (noble  white),  a  velvet  flower,  greenish- white, 
and  of  unobtrusive  aspect,  is  by  reason  of  its  modesty  over- 
looked, save  by  thrifty  urchins  who  gather  it  to  sell,  and 
travellers,  who  regard  it  as  the  type  flower  of  the  Alps. 
In  one  legend  the  edelweiss  is  related  to  heaven,  so  near 
to  which  it  grows,  for  an  angel,  wearying  of  her  celestial 
home,  longs  to  taste  once  more  the  bitterness  of  earth.  She 
receives  permission  to  take  her  shape  of  flesh  again,  but, 
unprepared  to  mingle  with  a  humanity  that  even  to  her 

103 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

sympathetic  eyes  is  enacting  a  tragedy  of  poverty,  crime, 
oppression,  misfortune,  and  discontent,  she  chooses  a  home 
among  the  highest  and  wildest  of  the  Swiss  mountains, 
where  she  may  look  off  upon  the  world,  yet  be  not  of  it. 
The  angel  soul  of  the  visitant  illumines  her  face  and  trans- 
figures her  form  to  marvellous  beauty.  Having  been  seen 
by  a  daring  climber,  the  icy  fastness  where  she  hides  her 
loveliness  is  invaded  by  men  eager  to  behold,  and,  from 
the  joy  of  beholding,  doomed  to  love  her,  hopelessly.  She 
is  kind  but  cold  to  all,  and,  unable  to  endure  the  sight  of 
so  beautiful  a  presence  and  be  separated  from  it,  her  lovers 
join  in  a  prayer  to  God  that  as  they  may  not  possess  her  they 
may  at  least  be  relieved  from  the  torment  of  her  loveliness. 
The  prayer  is  answered :  the  angel  is  taken  back  to  heaven, 
leaving  her  human  heart  in  the  edelweiss,  as  a  memento 
of  her  earthly  residence. 

EGG-PLANT 

As  the  Arab  women  use  henna  juice  to  redden  their  palms 
and  soles,  so  the  egg-plant  is  used  to  blacken  the  teeth  of 
women  in  Japan,  but  for  a  different  purpose,  for  whereas 
the  henna  stains  are  regarded  as  beautiful,  the  blackened 
teeth  are  a  confessed  disfigurement.  Tradition  says  that 
the  custom  arose  from  the  wish  of  a  handsome  young  wife 
to  cure  her  husband  of  a  causeless  jealousy.  The  color  is 
obtained  by  dropping  peel  of  egg-plant  into  water  that 
contains  a  red-hot  iron.  After  applying  it  to  the  teeth, 
they  are  brushed  till  they  shine  like  metal.  The  practice 
was  continued  until  the  empress  appeared  in  public  with 
white  teeth,  when  society  in  Tokio  dutifully  followed  her 
example.  Among  the  commoners,  however,  the  use  of  tooth- 
dye  is  continued  to  a  considerable  extent. 

The  variety  of  egg-plant  known  as  the  apple  of  Sodom, 

104 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

or  Dead  Sea  fruit,  is  often  pierced  by  an  insect,  whose  sting 
has  the  effect  of  shrivelling  it  and  converting  its  inside  to 
bitter  dust.  The  name  of  Dead  Sea  apple,  however,  is 
applied  to  a  gall  nut,  like  that  borne  on  our  oaks,  which 
also  results  from  the  stings  of  insects.  The  true  egg-plant 
which  bears  that  name  because  of  its  shape,  and  not  for  its 
flavor,  was  anciently  believed  to  be  a  poison,  especially  to 
wits,  wherefore  it  had  the  names  of  raging  apple  and  mad 
apple. 

ELDER 

Lurking  in  swampy  isles  and  borders,  and  hiding  un- 
known things  in  its  shadows,  the  elder  came  to  be  regarded 
as  having  a  supernatural  consequence:  it  was  possessed  of 
a  spirit,  and  none  might  destroy  it  without  peril  to  himself. 
Its  name  associates  it  with  Hulda,  or  Hilda,  mother  of 
elves,  and  the  good  woman  in  northern  myth.  In  Denmark 
Hulda  lived  in  the  root  of  an  elder,  hence  the  tree  was 
appropriately  her  symbol,  and  was  employed  in  the  cere- 
monies of  her  worship  on  the  Venusberg.  If  the  forbidden 
wood  is  used  in  buildings,  the  occupant  will  presently  com- 
plain that  mysterious  hands  are  pulling  his  legs.  The 
dwarf  variety  is  believed  by  some  to  grow  only  where 
human  blood  has  been  shed,  and  in  Welsh  its  name  signifies 
plant-of-the-blood-of-men. 

Yet  the  elder  has  its  virtues,  and  on  the  night  of 
January  6  you  may  cut  a  branch  from  it,  first  having  asked 
permission,  and  spat  thrice  if  no  answer  comes  from  the 
wood.  AVith  the  branch  you  will  mark  a  magic  circle  in  a 
lonely  field,  stand  at  the  centre,  surrounded  with  such 
kinds  of  bloom  and  berry  as  you  have  saved  from  St. 
John's  night,  and,  so  prepared,  you  will  demand  of  the 
devil,  then  abroad,  some  of  his  precious  fern-seed  that  gives 
to  you  the  strength  of  thirty  men.     Though  the  evil  one  is 

105 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

foot-free  on  that  night,  he  is  still  under  the  spell  of  the 
good  Hulda,  and  when  a  wand  of  her  wood  is  directed 
against  him  he  must  obey,  and  the  fern-seed  will  be  brought 
by  a  shadowy  somebody,  folded  in  a  chalice  cloth. 

Incidentally  elder  wood  cures  toothache,  keeps  the  house 
from  attack,  fends  off  snakes,  mosquitoes,  and  warts,  quiets 
nerves,  interrupts  fits,  removes  poison  from  metal  vessels, 
keeps  worms  out  of  furniture,  and  guarantees  that  he  who 
cultivates  it  shall  die  in  his  own  house.  If  this  cross  be 
planted  on  the  grave — as  in  the  Tyrol,  where  peasants  lift 
their  hats  to  the  elder — the  beatitude  of  the  buried  is  under- 
stood when  it  bursts  into  bloom  and  leaf;  if  it  fails  to 
flower,  the  relatives  may  draw  their  own  conclusions. 

ELM 

America  claims  the  elm,  though  its  original  is  said  to 
have  come  from  Italy,  where  it  was  often  used  as  a  support 
for  vines.  As  it  yielded  no  fruit,  the  ancients  had  but 
a  small  opinion  of  it,  and,  like  other  such  trees,  they  put  it 
under  protection  of  the  infernal  gods  and  made  it  a  funeral 
emblem,  as  we  afterward  made  the  willow.  To  our  Indians, 
it  was  a  demulcent,  even  a  food,  and  the  Iroquois  called 
the  red  or  slippery  elm  * '  oohooska, ' '  meaning  ' '  it  slips. ' ' 

In  classic  legend  the  elm  was  a  creation  of  Orpheus,  or 
a  gift  of  the  gods  to  him,  for  when  he  had  returned  from 
the  vain  attempt  to  release  his  wife  from  Hades  and  be- 
taken himself  to  his  harp  for  consolation,  the  listening  earth 
took  new  life,  and  crowding  over  it  came  a  grove  of  elms, 
marching  to  his  song,  and  forming  a  green  temple  in  whose 
shade  he  often  pondered,  and  uttered  melody  while  he  re- 
mained on  earth.  Thus  it  should  be  the  tree  of  Orpheus, 
but  by  some  strange  perversion  it  became  the  tree  of  Mor- 
pheus, god  of  sleep,  and  dreams  hovered  and  roosted  in  its 

106 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

branches,  ready,  it  would  seem,  to  pounce  on  the  unwary 
who  stole  a  nap  beneath  it  and  fill  him  with  conceits  and 
terrors.  In  saintly  heraldry  the  ''attribute''  of  Zenobio  is 
an  elm  putting  forth  fresh  leaves,  for  this  holy  man  restored 
so  many  from  the  dead  and  lived  so  prayerful  a  life  that 
the  people  crowded  about  his  body  at  the  funeral,  exactly 
as  they  crowd  to-day  about  the  hearse  of  a  beloved  rabbi  in 
New  York,  to  touch  his  coffin  and  obtain  healing.  In  the 
crush  the  corpse  of  Zenobio  was  thrown  against  a  withered 
elm  and  instantly  on  this  contact  the  tree  put  forth  a 
crown  of  leaves,  showing  that  he  had  brought  the  tree  to 
life  as  he  had  raised  men  and  women  from  the  tomb. 
It  has  been  claimed  that  the  lotus,  which,  being  eaten, 
causes  the  traveller  to  forget  his  native  land  and  be  content 
forever  in  the  country  of  the  stranger,  is  no  lotus  at  all,  but 
the  species  of  elm  known  as  European  nettle,  also  called 
hackberry  and  sugarberry. 

Sundry  of  the  famous  trees  of  this  country  are  elms. 
Such  was  the  Penn  treaty  tree,  which  stood  in  a  suburb 
of  Philadelphia  until  1810,  marking  the  spot  where  the 
only  fair  agreement  was  ever  made  between  white  men  and 
Indians.  That  under  which  Washington  took  command 
of  the  American  army  in  Cambridge  is  still  standing,  de- 
spite the  appeals  of  a  street  railroad  company  for  more 
track  room. 

Our  New  England  green  with  its  border  of  monumental 
elms,  has  a  likeness  and  precedent  in  old  England,  where 
an  elm  on  a  village  common  was  a  gathering  place  for  the 
people  when  they  were  to  debate  public  matters,  or  hold 
court  for  the  trial  of  minor  cases.  In  at  least  one  instance 
it  served  as  a  stake  for  the  burning  of  a  poor  wretch  "  for 
the  profession  of  the  gospel." 

There  are  not  infrequent  instances  in  folk  tales  of  the 
dependence  of  human  lives  on  those  of  plants  and  trees, 

107 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

and  one  such  instance  has  been  noted  in  the  superstition 
relative  to  the  great  elm  of  Castle  Howth,  near  Dublin. 
For  years  this  tree  received  care,  its  limbs  being  propped 
or  tied  when  threatened  with  decay,  in  the  belief  that  when- 
ever a  branch  was  broken  the  head  of  the  Ho^vths  would  die, 
and  that  when  the  tree  itself  should  have  lived  out  its  life 
the  family  would  become  extinct. 

ERYNGO 

The  hapless  maid  Sappho  loved  a  boatman,  a  stalwart, 
handsome  fellow,  and  to  compel  his  love  she  wore  sprigs 
of  eryngo,  or  sea  holly,  for  it  was  a  faith  of  that  age  that 
whosoever  would  conceal  this  upon  him  and  set  his  mind 
on  the  object  of  his  affection  would  clinch  that  object  to 
him  as  with  bands  of  steel.  But  the  boatman  was  of  low 
tastes,  and  when  she  read  odes  to  him  he  responded  with 
indifference.  Sappho  could  not  abide  these  rebuffs,  and 
ended  the  pain  of  them  by  rejecting  the  eryngo,  singing 
her  death-song  on  a  cliff,  and  casting  herself  into  the  deep. 

Eryngo  was  formerly  used  as  a  tonic  and  confection. 
Lord  Bacon  is  authority  for  it  that  when  taken  with  am- 
bergris, yolks  of  eggs,  and  malmsey,  eryngo  roots  are  nour- 
ishing and  also  strengthen  weak  backs.  According  to  Plu- 
tarch, if  a  goat  took  a  sea  holly  into  her  mouth,  it  would  not 
only  bring  her  to  a  standstill,  but  affect  the  whole  flock, 
so  that  they  would  remain  like  a  group  of  statues,  gazing 
into  vacancy,  till  the  herdsman,  discovering  the  cause  of 
the  trouble,  violently  possessed  himself  of  the  herb  and  so 
broke  the  spell. 

FERN 

Few  ferns  have  commercial  value,  though  a  New  Zealand 
variety  is  used  as  a  food,  and  the  fragrant  shield  fern, 
yielding  an  odor  that  is  compared  to  both  primroses  and 

108 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

raspberries,  is  boiled  by  the  Siberian  Yakoots  as  a  substitute 
for  tea.  The  commoner  brake,  or  bracken,  or  eagle  fern — 
pteris  aquilina — so  called  from  a  fancied  likeness  between 
its  frond  and  an  eagle's  wing,  and  which  grows  to  seven 
feet  in  British  Columbia  and  fourteen  feet  in  South  Amer- 
ica, is  believed  to  be  the  ' '  f earn ' '  of  old  England  that  gave 
to  the  villages  such  names  as  Landisfearn,  Femham,  Fern- 
hurst,  Farndale,  Farnham  (fern  home),  Farnsfield,  Farns- 
worth,  Feamall,  Feamow,  Farningham,  and  the  like.  Rarer 
than  this  variety  is  that  known  in  old  times  as  lunary  and 
martagon,  but  in  our  day  as  moonwork,  rattlesnake  fern, 
and  (in  extreme  cases)  hotrychium  lunaria.  This  would 
have  been  a  most  unsafe  thing  to  have  growing  about  one 's 
doorstep,  because  on  putting  it  into  a  keyhole,  it  will  open 
a  door ;  it  will  unlock  fetters ;  it  will  loosen  the  shoes  from  a 
horse's  feet  if  he  but  cross  a  pasture  where  it  grows.  In- 
deed, one  of  its  ancient  names  is  unshoe-the-horse.  But 
rarest  of  all  is  the  fern  of  Tartary  called  the  barometz, 
or  Scythian  lamb,  the  root  whereof,  with  its  hairy  rootlets, 
is  likened  to  a  sheep  or  dog. 

Lucky-hands  is  the  name  given  by  a  limited  number  of 
people  to  that  fern  which  is  called  aspidium  filix  mas.  Its 
unexpanded  fronds  resemble  hands,  and  fronds  as  well  as 
roots  were  used  to  keep  off  spells  of  warlocks  and  witches. 
Glass  made  from  the  ash  of  it  had  magic  properties.  Some 
say  that  the  ring  of  Genghis  Khan  contained  it,  for  when- 
ever he  wore  it  he  could  understand  the  ways  of  plants  and 
the  speech  of  birds.  But  the  really  precious  part  is  the 
seed,  for  the  plant  flowers  only  once,  and  then  in  the  dark. 
If  you  are  abroad  on  St.  John's  night  and  look  closely, 
you  may  see  the  dark  red  blossoms  open,  but  only  then,  and 
at  dawn  they  have  fallen  and  been  wholly  absorbed  into  the 
earth.  In  the  belief  that  it  is  good  to  see  them,  Eussian 
peasants  spend  that  night  tramping  through  dells  where 

109 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  pretty  plants  are  found.  If  the  flowers  do  not  appear, 
you  may  still,  possibly,  see  the  fern  seed,  shining  like 
molten  gold  in  the  dark,  and  the  seed  is  most  precious  of 
things,  for  if  you  scatter  it,  at  the  same  time  making  a 
wish  that  the  treasures  of  the  earth  be  revealed,  you  shall 
see  these  treasures  in  a  dim,  blue  light,  as  if  the  earth  were 
glass.  The  sap  of  the  flowering  fern,  when  drunk,  con- 
fers eternal  youth.  This  seed  can  be  gathered  only  on 
Christmas,  just  before  the  clock  strikes  midnight ;  and  keep 
your  wits  about  you,  for  the  Devil  has  the  care  of  it.  At 
the  appointed  time  take  your  stand  at  a  lonely  cross  road, 
where  a  corpse  has  recently  been  carried,  and  where  un- 
canny things  are  flocking,  half  visible  to  you.  These  creat- 
ures will  sometimes  cuff  your  ears,  or  knock  off  your  hat, 
or  will  try  to  make  you  speak  or  laugh  by  making  myste- 
rious noises  in  the  shrubbery,  or  by  whispering  fantastic 
ideas  into  your  head.  You  must  resist  all  temptation  to 
make  a  sound  with  your  lips,  for  if  you  do,  either  you  will 
be  changed  to  stone  or  torn  to  pieces.  Just  go  forward 
silently  till  you  find  the  fern  with  its  seed  glowing  and 
sparkling,  lay  a  chalice  cloth  under,  lest  the  devil  extend 
his  hand  to  catch  it,  and  collect  such  of  the  seed  as  falls 
before  sun-up.  When  you  begin  the  search  you  will  see 
hideous  snakes  running  over  the  frozen  earth,  yet  they 
are  only  guides  that  lead  the  way  to  what  you  seek,  and  in 
following  them  should  you  become  entangled  in  that  fern 
which  causes  one  to  lose  his  way  and  sense  of  distance, 
change  your  shoes,  putting  that  of  the  left  foot  on  the 
right,  and  vice  versa,  and  you  will  regain  the  road. 

The  invocation  of  the  spirit  of  the  plant  against  magic 
seems  to  be  indicated  in  a  practice  among  the  Syrians  of 
printing  the  form  of  the  lady  fern  on  the  hand  of  a  woman 
about  to  be  married.  A  leaf  of  this  fern,  known  to  them 
as  bride's  gloves,  is  laid  on  the  hand,  bound  into  place, 

110 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

then  the  ruddy  dye  of  the  henna  tree  is  washed  over  the 
skin.  The  back  of  the  hand,  covered  by  the  leaf,  is  pro- 
tected, and  the  form  of  it  remains  as  long  as  the  stain. 

It  is  obviously  the  thin,  black,  shining  stalk  that  gives 
to  the  adiantum  its  name  of  maiden  hair,  for  the  Greek 
adiantos  signifies  dry,  and  refers  to  the  hair  of  Venus, 
which  was  not  bedraggled  when  she  arose  from  the  sea, 
wherefore  this  fern  was  anciently  Venus 's  hair,  and  also. 
Virgin's  hair,  and,  for  unguessable  reasons,  was  dedicated 
to  Pluto  and  Proserpine,  the  gods  of  hell.  Was  the  Greek 
myth  carried  to  England,  or  how  came  it  that  in  that 
country  the  fern  was  still  a  plant  of  mischief?  True,  the 
male  fern  averts  sorcery  and  the  evil  eye,  but  you  must  not 
carry  a  fern,  or  snakes  will  chase  you  till  you  throw  it 
away.  All  ferns  are  haunts  of  the  fairies,  who  in  Corn- 
wall are  the  spirits  of  such  as  died  in  paganism,  before 
the  coming  of  Christ,  and  are  punished  for  lacking  the  true 
faith  by  the  shortening  of  stature  and  the  strange  life  of 
the  woods. 

FIG 

The  fig,  first  known,  probably,  in  the  east,  is  relative 
of  almost  as  many  useful  forms  of  vegetation  as  the  rose. 
In  its  family  are  the  famous  but  now  little  dreaded  upas, 
the  nettle,  the  Indian  hemp,  the  hop,  the  breadfruit,  the 
mulberry,  the  rubber,  and  other  plants  of  milky  sap.  Fig 
wood  was  used  by  Egyptians  for  mummy  cases,  better  wood 
being  scarce  in  their  almost  treeless  country,  and  roaming 
tribes  have  pitched  their  camps  in  its  shade.  The  fruit 
still  forms  an  important  part  of  the  diet  of  these  wanderers, 
especially  that  of  the  ever-blooming  species,  known  as  the 
sycamore-fig  or  mulberry  fig — to  primitive  tribes,  as  sacred 
as  the  oak  to  the  Druids.  Beneath  it  the  nature  worshippers 
performed  rites,  some  of  which  were  better  unperformed, 

111 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

for  which  reason,  no  doubt,  as  well  as  for  Judas 's  choice 
of  it  to  hang  himself  upon — he  seems  to  have  destroyed 
himself  on  all  the  trees  in  the  wood,  from  the  rose-bush  to 
the  palm — imps  have  been  hiding  in  it  ever  since :  ' '  obscene 
monsters,"  St.  Jerome  called  them.  Yet  another  saint, 
Augustine,  to  wit,  found  it  no  such  matter,  for  when  he  had 
cast  himself,  despairing,  under  a  fig  tree,  unable  at  the 
moment  to  believe  some  statements  in  the  Scriptures,  the 
fig  spoke  to  him  in  a  child's  voice,  bidding  him  read  anew: 
which  he  did,  and  his  doubts  were  solved.  It  is  dangerous 
for  some  people  to  sleep  under  a  fig,  for  they  will  be  waked 
by  a  spectral  nun,  who  offers  a  knife  and  asks  how  it  will 
be  taken.  If  the  victim  offers  to  take  it  by  the  blade,  she 
will  pierce  his  heart  with  it,  but  if  he  grasps  it  by  the 
handle,  she  is  compelled  to  give  him  good  fortune.  Christ 
deepened  the  fig  in  disrepute  when  he  cursed  it  for  its  bar- 
renness, w^ith  the  result  that  it  lost  its  leaves  and  died. 
Even  its  wood  was  worthless,  for  when  they  cast  it  into 
the  fire  it  merely  smoldered  and  would  not  burn. 

The  fig  furnished  our  first  parents  with  what  one  old 
Bible  called  ' '  breeches, ' '  and  some  scholars  claimed  it  as  the 
original  tree  of  knowledge,  instead  of  the  apple.  When 
Mary  sought  shelter  for  the  infant  Jesus  from  the  soldiers 
of  Herod,  it  was  a  fig  that  opened  its  trunk  to  hide  them 
till  the  pursuers  had  gone  by.  And  in  eastern  mythology 
we  also  find  the  tree  associated  with  the  divine,  for  Gautama 
dreamed  of  his  approaching  empire  under  that  form  of  fig 
known  as  the  banyan  or  peepul,  ''the  sacred  tree  of  many 
feet, ' '  and  when  he  had  achieved  deity  he  sat  beneath  it  as 
enthroned.  Vishnu,  too,  was  born  in  the  cathedral  shade  of 
the  peepul.  These  trees  grow  to  vast  size  and  vast  age, 
the  Holy  Bo,  of  Ceylon,  grown  from  a  scion  of  Buddha's 
tree,  being  ''the  oldest  and  most  venerated  idol  in  the 
world,"  according  to  Kipling.     The  banyan  near  Surat, 

112 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

India,  is  held  to  be  three  thousand  years  old,  and  is  never 
touched  with  steel,  lest  the  god  who  lives  in  it  be  offended. 
One  near  Patna  spread  over  nine  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
and  was  supported  by  sixty  stems  growing  downward  to 
the  earth  from  its  horizontal  branches.  Another  immense 
ficus  in  the  ruins  of  Padjajarian,  Java,  'Hhe  Vegetable 
Giant,"  is  visited  by  many  pilgrims,  who  believe  that  the 
souls  of  the  dead  occupy  its  branches. 

In  classic  myth  the  fig  is  Lyceus,  a  Titan,  changed  to  a 
tree  by  Rhea,  while  another  story  ascribes  its  invention  to 
Bacchus.  It  was  growing  on  the  site  of  Rome  when  the 
cradle  of  Romulus  and  Remus  stranded  under  its  branches, 
and  was  worshipped  there,  down  to  the  time  of  the  empire, 
the  women  of  the  city  wearing  collars  of  figs  as  symbols  of 
fecundity  in  the  Bacchic  feasts  and  dances,  and  the  men 
carrying  statues  of  Priapus  carved  from  its  wood,  in  the 
holiday  processions.  In  Rome,  when  Calchas  challenged 
his  fellow  prophet,  Mopsus,  to  a  test  of  soothsaying,  and 
the  latter,  answering  his  question,  told  him,  ''Yonder  fig 
tree  has  9999  fruit" — which  proved  to  be  the  case — Cal- 
chas, unable  to  guess  anything  of  equal  importance  so 
nearly,  hated  himself  to  death. 

FIR 

The  fir,  which  has  been  a  sacred  tree  ever  since  it  was 
hewn  for  the  ceiling  of  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  was  Atys 
— he  whom  Zeus  changed  to  a  tree,  that  he  might  thus 
appease  the  anger  of  Cybele,  for  Atys,  a  priest  of  Cybele, 
had  lapsed  from  virtue:  hence  his  punishment.  So  strong 
was  the  regard  for  the  tree  in  France  that  when  St.  Martin 
arrived  and  began  to  raze  the  temple  erected  to  heathen 
gods,  his  proposition  to  destroy  the  firs  roused  such  anger 
that  he  was  forced  to  desist.  Some  remains  of  its  heathen 
8  113 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 


association  linger  in  the  Hartz,  where  girls  dance  about  it 
in  their  religious  festivals,  singing  songs  that  are  not  Chris- 
tian, and  decorating  it  with  lights,  flowers,  eggs,  and  gew- 
gaws. In  circling  about  it  thus,  they  prevent  the  escape 
of  an  imp  concealed  among  its  branches,  who  must  give 
to  them  whatever  is  in  his  keeping  or  resign  hope  of  going 
free.  This  is  held  to  be  the  origin  of  the  Christmas  tree, 
and  the  imp  has  grown  to  the  benevolent  St.  Nicholas, 
Santa  Claus,  or  Old  Nick,  who  is  believed  by  Grimm  and 
other  students  of  folk-lore  to  be  no  other  than  Odin  himself. 
Christianized  somewhat  out  of  likeness.  When  you  light 
up  the  tree  on  Christmas  eve,  making  sure  it  is  a  fir  and  not 
a  pine  or  spruce  or  hemlock,  for  we  use  all  sorts  of  ever- 
greens in  our  celebration,  you  may  learn  your  fate,  if  you 
have  courage  to  look  at  your  shadow  on  the  wall.  If  the 
shadow  appears  without  a  head,  it  signifies  that  you  are  to 
die  within  the  coming  year.  If  you  will  cut  off  a  branch 
and  lay  it  across  the  foot  of  your  bed,  it  will  keep  away 
nightmare.  A  stick  of  fir,  not  quite  burned  through,  fends 
off  lightning,  and  a  bunch  hung  at  the  barn  door  keeps  out 
evil  spirits  that  want  to  steal  the  grain. 

In  Christmas  celebrations  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
hill  in  the  Hartz  mountains  known  as  the  Hubinchenstein, 
cones  gathered  from  the  firs  growing  thereon  are  silvered 
and  used  for  ornament,  and  if  you  ask  why,  you  learn  that 
long  ago,  when  a  miner  fell  sick,  leaving  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren in  straits  for  food  and  fuel,  the  wife  climbed  the 
Hubinchenstein,  intending  to  pick  up  cones,  which  she 
might  possibly  sell  for  another  day's  living.  As  she  en- 
tered the  wood,  a  little  old  man  with  a  jolly  face  and  long 
white  beard  emerged  from  the  shadows  and  pointed  to  a  fir 
tree  that  he  said  would  yield  the  best  seeds.  The  woman 
thanked  him,  and  when  she  reached  the  tree  there  was  such 

114 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

a  downfall  of  cones  that  she  was  frightened.  The  basket 
was  extraordinarily  heavy,  too;  indeed,  she  could  barely 
reach  her  home  with  it,  and  the  reason  for  this  was  soon 
evident,  for  when  she  emptied  the  cones  upon  the  table, 
every  one  was  of  silver. 

In  the  northern  countries  respect  for  the  fir,  as  king  of 
the  forest  and  home  of  the  wood  genius,  is  so  genuine  that 
some  choppers  refuse  to  cut  it,  and  when  a  monster  fir  is 
thrown  down  by  storm  in  Russia  the  wood  is  not  sold,  but 
is  given  to  the  church. 

FLAX 

Hilda,  the  earth  goddess,  having  taught  to  mortals  the 
art  of  weaving  flax,  revisits  us  twice  in  the  year,  emerging 
from  her  cave  near  Unterlassen,  in  the  Tyrol,  and  going 
about  to  see  if  the  people  are  still  profiting  from  her  in- 
struction. She  comes  in  answer  to  the  summer's  call, 
when  the  flax  is  putting  out  its  blue,  and  her  first  concern 
is  to  know  if  enough  has  been  planted.  In  winter  she  looks 
to  see  if  the  women  have  flax  enough  for  spinning  on  their 
distaffs,  or  if  there  are  hints  of  a  proper  industry  in  the 
fresh  linen  of  the  household.  If  she  fails  to  find  these 
tokens  it  means  that  the  family  is  thriftless,  lazy,  or  unfit, 
and  she  inflicts  punishment  by  blighting  the  next  year's 
crop. 

Because  Hilda  is  the  goddess  of  plenty,  flax,  in  the  re- 
gard of  some  of  the  northern  people,  has  become  the  type  of 
life.  When  a  German  baby  does  not  thrive  they  place  him 
naked  on  the  grass  and  scatter  flaxseed  over  him,  in  the  be- 
lief that  such  of  the  seed  as,  falling  on  the  earth,  takes 
root  and  flourishes,  will  join  his  fortunes  to  the  plentiful 
life  that  is  everywhere  about  him ;  so  he  must  begin  to  grow 
when  the  little  plants  appear. 

115 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

FLOWERS  OF  PARNASSUS 

Legend  clothes  Parnassus  with  poetry  as  nature  clothes 
it  with  beauty.  Many  flowers  of  our  gardens  were  born 
there,  and  they  come  to  us  bearing  not  only  color  and  per- 
fume, but  history  and  allegory.  This  storied  hill  loomed 
above  Delphi,  where  Apollo  spoke  through  his  oracle.  It 
towered  into  a  region  of  snow,  but  its  sides  were  green 
with  olive,  myrtle,  and  laurel ;  and  on  a  ridge  of  the  moun- 
tain the  Thyades  held  their  revels  in  honor  of  the  vine. 
Here  grew  the  narcissus,  translated  body  of  that  swain  who 
wept  himself  to  death  for  love  of  his  own  image.  When 
Adonis  died  he  became  the  adonium  (in  one  version  of  the 
story),  and  the  tears  that  Venus  wept  for  him  changed  into 
anemones.  The  adonis  autumyialisy  also  known  as  May 
flower,  pheasant's  eye,  and  rose-a-ruby,  is  stained  red  with 
his  blood.  Here  grew  the  beech,  wherewith  victors  in  the 
games  were  crowned,  till  Daphne  had  become  a  myrtle, 
when  the  leaves  of  that  tree  were  substituted,  since  Daphne 
was  loved  of  Apollo,  god  of  arts  and  grace  and  light.  Here 
sprang  roses,  first  white,  but  changed  to  red  for  shame 
V  and  pity  when  Venus,  running  toward  the  dying  Adonis, 
was  pricked  by  their  thorns.  The  snowdrop  bloomed  here, 
but  to  the  Greek  it  was  the  magic  moly,  wherewith  Ulysses 
protected  himself  and  his  companions  from  the  spells  of 
Circe,  when  they  had  been  wrecked  on  her  island.  Those 
who  had  drunk  from  the  cup  she  offered  became  swine, 
but  Hermes  had  provided  the  hero  with  a  moly  root  that 
Niade  it  safe  for  him  to  drink. 

Here  grew  the  elichrysum,  an  '*  everlasting "  named  for 
the  nymph  Elichrysa,  because  she  had  woven  it  into  a 
wreath  for  Diana;  here  grew  mandragora  and  enchanter's 
nightshade,  of  evil  note ;  the  dark  hellebore,  the  fatal  hem- 
lock, and  the  agrimony  wherewith  Mithridates  countered 

116 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  poison  administered  by  his  courtiers ;  here  was  the  eye- 
bright,  or  euphrasy,  named  for  the  grace,  Euphrosyne, 
and  restorative  of  sight  to  hurt  eyes ;  here  the  yellow  gentian 
and  vervain  used  by  Medea  in  her  enchantments;  here 
grew  the  filbert  which  is  the  metamorphosed  Princess  Phyl- 
lis ;  the  fleabane  that  drove  vermin  from  couches ;  the  gilli- 
flower,  called  clove  for  its  spiciness,  and  blooming  for  men 
in  paradise;  the  mullein  or  hag  taper,  a  funeral  torch  and 
gathered  by  witches  for  their  incantations ;  and  the  hawk- 
weed,  dedicated  to  the  bird  that  names  it  and  eats  it  to 
clear  its  sight.  Juno's  tears  (coix  lacryma)  bloomed! 
among  the  trees  sacred  to  the  gods  who  sat  on  Olympus, 
not  far  distant.  Daphne's  chase  by  Apollo  is  recalled  by 
the  laurel,  for  she  was  transfigured  into  that  tree.  The 
orchis  commemorates  the  assault  of  the  satyr  Orchis  on  a 
priestess  of  Bacchus,  his  death  at  the  hands  of  the  out- 
raged worshippers,  and  the  conversion  of  his  body  to  this 
flower.  Parsley  gathered  in  Parnassus 's  shadow  wreathed 
the  conquerors  in  the  Nemean  and  Isthmian  games,  for  it 
was  chosen  by  the  strenuous  Hercules  as  his  first  garland; 
yet  it  decorated  graves  and  biers,  and  was  so  commonly 
accepted  as  a  funeral  plant  that  a  body  of  Greek  troops 
was  once  thrown  into  rout  by  meeting  some  mules  laden 
with  parsley — a  certain  forecast  of  ill  fortune.  With  the 
loosestrife,  or  lysimachia,  growing  here,  king  Lysimachus 
found  that  he  could  quiet  unruly  oxen,  if  he  placed  it  about 
their  necks.  Here  might  be  plucked  the  primrose,  the  flori- 
fied  Paralisos,  the  poppy  created  by  Ceres  that  she  might 
forget  grief  in  the  sleep  it  induced,  and  the  violet  where- 
with Diana  changed  the  nymph  she  would  save  from  the 
embraces  of  her  brother  Apollo.  To  his  Delphian  temple, 
they  carried  the  rampion,  or  campanula  ranuculus,  on 
golden  plates,  to  be  eaten  as  food  or  used  as  a  funeral  decor- 
ation.    Here  Syrinx,  chased  by  Pan,  was  rescued  from  him 

117 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

by  a  sudden  conversion  either  into  a  reed,  or  the  syringa 
that  still  blooms  for  Greece ;  and  tansy,  bearing  its  old  name 
of  athanasia,  recalls  Jove's  command  to  give  eternal  life  to 
Ganymede,  his  cup-bearer,  by  causing  him  to  drink  of  it. 
Thyme,  which  also  covered  Mount  Hymettus,  renewed 
fainting  spirits,  and  symbolized  vitality. 

The  country  hereabout  is  also  favorable  to  the  growth 
of  quinces,  which  were  consecrated  to  Venus  and  called 
golden  apples.  It  was  possibly  with  this  fruit,  not  with 
apples  of  real  gold,  that  Hippomenes  won  his  race  against 
Atlanta,  for  she  could  not  forbear  to  stop  and  pick  them 
up  when  he  threw  them  to  the  ground.  It  was  fondness 
for  them  that  induced  Hercules  to  fight  the  dragon  of  the 
Hesperides  gardens. 

FORGET-ME-NOT 

Not  many  of  the  flowers  retain  their  legends  in  their 
names,  but  the  forget-me-not  indicates  its  own  history: 
A  young  man  walking  beside  the  Danube  with  his  sweet- 
heart notes  her  admiration  for  some  flowers — blue  as  her 
eyes — that  grew  on  an  islet  in  the  stream.  He  tosses  off 
his  shoes  and  hat  and  coat,  kisses  her  hand  laughingly, 
and  leaps  into  the  river  to  pluck  them  for  her,  regardless  of 
the  current,  the  fangs  of  rock  that  lift  through  the  foam, 
the  cold  of  the  evening,  and  the  protest  of  the  girl.  He 
crosses  safely,  plucks  the  morsels  of  color,  and  is  almost 
at  the  bank  again  when  he  is  wrung  by  a  cruel  cramp, 
and  can  no  longer  hold  his  way  against  the  whirl  and  surge 
of  the  rapid.  The  roar  of  the  fall,  not  far  below,  is  in  his 
ears;  he  realizes  that  his  hour  is  come.  Looking  into  the 
white  face  of  his  beloved,  he  flings  his  bouquet  at  her  feet 
with  his  last  strength,  cries,  ''Forget  me  not!"  and  disap- 
pears. She  never  does  forget  him,  but  wears  the  flowers 
in  her  hair  till  her  own  death. 

118 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

The  flower  was  adopted  by  the  fourth  Henry  of  Eng- 
land in  his  exile,  with  the  motto,  or  petition,  **Eemember 
me."  An  order  of  knighthood  in  the  fourteenth  century 
wore  the  flower  as  a  device.  In  Italy  they  tell  you  that  it 
is  a  flower  of  love,  and  is  the  changed  form  of  a  pretty 
maid  who  was  drowned.  In  France,  where  it  likewise 
symbolizes  affection,  it  is  sometimes  known  as  *'the  eyes 
of  our  lady. ' ' 

An  old  tradition  cites  that  when  Adam — one  version 
says,  God — named  all  the  plants  in  Eden,  as  he  supposed, 
he  overlooked  this  plant  because  it  was  so  small.  After- 
ward, as  he  passed  through  the  groves  and  gardens,  he  called 
these  names,  to  find  if  they  were  accepted,  and  every  plant 
bowed  and  whispered  its  assent.  His  walk  was  almost 
over  when  a  small  voice  at  his  feet  asked,  **By  what  name 
am  I  called,  Adam?"  and,  looking  down,  he  saw  the  flower 
peeping  shyly  at  him  from  the  shadow.  Struck  with  its 
beauty  and  his  own  forgetfulness,  he  answered,  **As  I  for- 
got you  before,  let  me  name  you  in  a  way  to  show  I  shall 
remember  you  again:  You  shall  be  forget-me-not." 

A  Persian  relates  how  in  the  world's  morning  an  angel 
sat  weeping  at  the  gates  of  light,  for  he  had  loved  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  earth,  and  so  forfeited  his  place  in  heaven.  He 
had  first  seen  the  girl  at  a  river  edge,  decorating  her  hair 
with  forget-me-nots,  and  as  punishment  for  losing  his  heart 
to  her  he  was  barred  from  paradise  till  the  woman  had 
planted  forget-me-nots  in  every  corner  of  the  world.  It  was 
a  tedious  task,  but  for  great  love  she  undertook  it,  and  so 
for  years,  in  all  climes  and  weathers,  they  wandered  over 
the  globe  together,  planting  this  little  flower.  When  the 
task  was  ended  the  couple  appeared  once  more  at  the  gates, 
and  behold,  they  were  not  closed  against  them.  The  woman 
was  admitted  without  death.  *'For,"  said  the  keepers  of 
the  way,  **your  love  is  greater  than  your  wish  for  life; 

119 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

and  as  he  on  whom  you  have  bestowed  yourself  is  an  angel, 
so  love  of  the  heavenly  has  raised  you  above  corruption. 
Enter,  therefore,  into  the  joys  of  heaven,  the  greatest  of 
which  is  unselfish  love/' 


GENTIAN 

This  lovely  flower  has  its  American  analogues  in  the 
fringed  gentian,  the  inspiration  of  Bryant's  poem,  and  the 
closed  gentian,  with  its  strange,  unopened,  bud-like  promi- 
nences of  intense  and  glorious  blue.  Physicians  of  old  held 
the  plant  to  be  **sovrayne''  for  poisons,  pestilences,  indi- 
gestions, dog  bites,  stubborn  livers,  weariness,  lameness 
and  other  maladies.  It  bears  the  name  of  Gentius,  king  of 
lUyria,  who  discovered  it  to  be  useful  in  medicine. 

In  Hungary  the  plant  was  Sanctus  Ladislas  Eegis 
Herba,  in  honor  of  Ladislas,  the  king,  whose  reign  was 
vexed  by  a  plague.  In  despair,  Ladislas  went  into  the 
fields  bearing  his  bow  and  arrow,  and  prayed  that  when  he 
shot  at  random  the  Lord  would  direct  the  shaft  to  some 
plant  that  might  be  of  use  in  checking  the  ravages  of  the 
disease.  He  shot,  and  the  arrow  was  found  sticking  into 
a  root  of  gentian,  which  he  immediately  culled,  and  with 
which  wondrous  cures  were  wrought. 

GERANIUM 

The  geranium  has  many  forms,  ranging  in  showiness 
from  the  much  cultivated  garden  varieties  to  the  humble 
crane's  bill  of  the  shadowed  roadside,  and  in  the  old  world 
common  among  hedges.  It  is  a  splendid  thing  in  the  east, 
is  our  geranium,  almost  worthy  to  be  called  a  tree.  There 
heaven  created  it  to  honor  the  virtues  of  the  Prophet,  for 
when  Mahomet  washed  his  shirt  one  day,  he  hung  it  to  dry 

120 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

on  a  lavender  mallow  at  the  water's  edge.  It  did  not  take 
long  for  the  moisture  to  evaporate,  but  in  that  time  a 
wondrous  change  had  taken  place,  for  the  plant  was  no 
longer  a  mallow:  it  was  head  high,  adorned  with  flowers 
of  brilliant  red  and  exhaling  a  spicy  and  piquant  odor. 
It  had  changed  into  a  geranium,  the  first  of  all  its  tribe. 

Of  the  wild  variety  common  in  England  and  America 
and  known  as  herb  Robert,  statements  conflict  as  to  the 
meaning  of  the  name.  Some  hold  that  it  was  intended  to 
commemorate  certain  concealed  virtues  of  the  highwayman 
Robin  Hood,  but  in  the  belief  of  others  it  bears  the  name 
of  a  gentler  Englishman,  Saint  Robert,  founder  of  the 
Cistercian  order,  who  was  born  on  the  29th  of  April,  when 
this  herb  commonly  unfolds  in  the  mild  air  of  the  old 
country.  At  all  events,  it  was  this  saint  who  used  it  as  a 
cure  for  Ruprecht's  plague.  An  easier  solution  of  the 
name  is  offered  by  a  Scottish  botanist,  Dr.  Macmillan,  who 
traces  it  to  the  Latin  rubor,  or  red. 

GINSENG 

Ginseng  is  in  demand  by  the  Chinese,  and  the  plant  is 
gathered  for  export  by  American  rustics,  from  Vermont  to 
the  hills  of  Georgia.  The  Chinese  carry  the  dry  root  as  an 
amulet,  and  their  name  for  it  is  genshen,  meaning  man's 
wort.  The  roots,  which  affect  rocky  places,  are  compelled 
to  turn  and  twist  in  getting  into  the  ground,  that  they  may 
avoid  stones  and  enter  crevices.  In  appearance  it  is  some- 
what like  the  mandrake,  and  as  the  mandrake  is  held 
to  be  shaped  like  a  man,  it  follows,  according  to  the  doc- 
trine of  signatures,  that  appears  to  be  still  effective  in  the 
east,  that  it  is  intended  for  men 's  use ;  hence  it  is  esteemed 
not  merely  as  a  prophylactic  and  demulcent,  but  as  a  charm 
against  evils.    It  is  good  for  ills  and  weaknesses  that  have 

121 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

been  inherited ;  it  refreshes  memory,  calms  passion,  and 
begets  pleasant  dreams.  Though  the  Tatars  would  shoot 
an  arrow  at  random,  saying  that  where  it  fell  ginseng  would 
be  found,  it  is  so  no  longer,  for  the  Chinese  have  as  indus- 
triously rooted  the  plant  out  of  their  dominions  as  we  are 
destroying  it  to-day,  we  being  a  reckless  race  that  seldom 
thinks  to  sow  where  it  reaps.  Our  shipments  of  it  aggre- 
gate probably  fifty  thousand  dollars  a  year,  but  the  individ- 
ual earnings  of  the  gatherers  seldom  amount  to  as  much 
as  they  could  make  in  an  equal  time  in  the  fields.  A  hunter 
may  tramp  over  wooded  hills  and  undergo  much  hard- 
ship in  collecting  a  dollar 's  worth. 

GRASSES,  GRAINS  AND  REEDS 

The  most  common  form  of  vegetation  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  a  form  that  is  familiar  in  poetry  and  art,  pervades 
tradition  to  but  a  slight  extent.  It  appears  as  a  simile 
in  our  own  and  other  religious  teachings  and  histories,  and 
wherever  the  Bible  is  read  the  sayings  will  be  recalled, 
**A11  flesh  is  grass,"  ''If  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the 
field,  how  much  more  will  he  clothe  you!"  Grass-blades 
were  once  eaten  to  achieve  second-sight  and  prophecy,  and 
sods  were  thought  to  be  barriers  against  witches.  Sods 
were  also  given  with  title  deeds  as  proof  of  a  valid  transfer. 
Conquerors  exacted  grass  and  water  from  the  enemy  in 
token  of  submission.  In  some  of  the  wars  in  India,  when 
a  tribe  was  overcome,  the  fighters  would  go  upon  their 
bellies  and  eat  grass  from  the  ground,  as  an  assurance 
that  they  had  become  as  cattle  under  the  hands  of  their 
enemies.  Indeed,  when  the  Cid  surrendered  to  King  Al- 
fonso, he  and  his  fifteen  knights  knelt  and  ate  grass.  The 
Masai  hold  grass  in  the  hand  or  tie  a  wisp  of  it  to  the  dress 
when  they  would  denote  welcome,  they  throw  it  over  one 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

whom  they  wish  to  bless,  and  they  cast  it  into  rivers  as  a 
peace-offering  to  the  water  spirits,  tokening  therein  an 
appreciation  not  unlike  that  of  the  Romans,  who  gave 
a  crown  of  it  to  the  captain  who  should  deliver  a  town 
under  siege,  the  trophy  being  known  as  the  corona  obsidio- 
nalis,  or  siege  crown,  and  also  the  corona  gramiriea,  or 
grain  crown.  It  was  woven  of  grass  that  grew  in  the 
beleaguered  camp. 

The  Hindus,  who  speak  of  kusa  grass  as  the  ornament  of 
sacrifice,  and  the  purifier,  use  it  in  fires  of  incense  on  the 
altars  of  the  Hindu  trinity,  Brahma,  Vishnu,  and  Siva.  As 
Brahma  once  sat  on  a  tuft  of  it,  and  thereby  made  it  holy, 
so  the  wise  and  wonderful,  who  in  the  east,  as  elsewhere, 
live  to  meditate,  strew  their  floors  with  kusa,  and  carry 
blades  of  it  for  good  fortune,  as  harder-headed  people  carry 
four-leaved  clover. 

Albeit  grass  is  the  commonest  of  weeds,  and  witch  grass 
is  one  of  the  worst  pests  with  which  the  farmer  has  to  con- 
tend, there  is  only  one  poisonous  variety,  namely  the 
lollolmm  temulentum^  which  is  the  tare  of  Scripture,  that 
the  enemy  sows  in  the  night.  In  a  Welsh  superstition  there 
is  danger  in  tussock  grass,  because  it  is  occupied  by  fairies, 
who  must  be  treated  with  consideration  or  they  may  revenge 
themselves. 

Early  botanists,  who  formulated  the  doctrine  of  signa- 
tures, observed  in  the  shaking  of  grass  a  token  that  it  must 
be  usefully  employed  in  human  diseases,  so  the  kind  known 
as  quakers,  or  shaking  grass,  became  a  cure  for  chills  and 
fever.  In  an  English  tradition  of  last  century,  the  grass 
did  not  merely  tremble  on  the  happening  of  a  tragedy ;  it 
refused  to  deck  the  grave  of  a  man  unjustly  put  to  death. 
In  the  churchyard  at  Montgomery  is  a  bare  spot  of  the 
size  and  shape  of  a  coffin.  It  is  told  that  a  young  farmer 
incurred  the  enmity  of  two  prosperous  neighbors,   who 

123 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLO^VERS,  ETC. 

brought  a  false  accusation  and  had  him  arrested  for  high- 
way robbery.  He  was  convicted  and  sent  to  his  death — 
for  in  those  times  robbery  was  a  hanging  matter.  Before 
the  execution  he  said,  ''If  I  am  innocent  of  the  crime  for 
which  I  suffer,  the  grass,  for  one  generation  at  least,  will 
not  cover  my  grave.'*  So  soon  as  the  bell  began  to  toll 
for  the  hanging,  the  sky  darkened,  and  as  Davies  put  his 
foot  on  the  scaffold  there  was  a  glare  of  lightning  and  an 
appalling  roar  of  thunder  that  struck  terror  to  his  accusers, 
and  the  multitude  that  had  assembled  to  see  the  killing 
fled,  crying  that  the  end  of  things  had  come.  In  1852, 
thirty  years  after  the  hanging,  a  village  clergyman  in  Mont- 
gomery wrote  that  the  grass  had  not  yet  covered  the  grave, 
and  that,  although  attempts  had  been  made  to  induce  a 
growth,  it  always  died,  leaving  the  soil  cold  and  bare,  as  if 
burned  off  by  lightning. 

The  rush,  or  reed,  came  into  existence  when  the  burly, 
jealous  Cyclopes,  Polyphemus,  found  Galatea  in  the  arms 
of  the  shepherd  Acis,  whom  she  loved.  Polyphemus  crushed 
his  rival  with  a  stone,  and  Galatea,  unwilling  to  leave  him 
in  his  gory  state,  yet  unable  to  restore  his  life,  caused  the 
blood  of  the  shepherd  to  change  to  water  and  flow  forever. 
When  it  had  completely  lost  its  color  a  form  like  that 
of  the  dead  youth  appeared  waist  deep  in  the  stream,  and 
while  the  weeping  nymph  looked  on  the  arms  began  to 
lengthen,  the  shoulders  to  sprout  green  blades,  and  pres- 
ently the  brook  was  edged  with  a  growth  of  rushes. 

The  reed  or  rush,  long  associated  with  kingship,  seems 
to  have  represented  the  royal  sceptre.  We  learn  that 
Moses's  cradle  anchored  among  rushes  that  beaconed  above 
his  head,  as  pointing  the  way  to  high  station  among  his 
people.  We  see  the  reed  placed  in  the  helpless  hands  of 
Christ  as  he  is  mocked  before  his  death.  It  is  reported 
that  William  the  Conqueror  fell  on  the  floor  at  his  birth. 

1^4 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

It  was  then  the  fashion,  and  for  long  after,  to  strew  halls 
and  churches  with  rushes,  to  relieve  their  bareness  and 
collect  dirt,  it  being  easy  to  change  them  for  cleaner.  The 
little  William,  rolling  among  these  rushes,  grasped  a  num- 
ber of  them  in  his  tiny  hands,  whereupon  all  the  bystanders 
who  had  been  invited  to  witness  the  function,  broke  into  a 
cheer,  for  this  was  promise  of  kingship. 

When  Isis  set  sail  to  recover  the  body  of  Osiris  she  wove 
her  boat  of  papjTus,  and  the  crocodiles  respected  it,  allow- 
ing it  to  proceed  along  the  Nile  in  peace.  It  was  of  this 
great  water-grass  also  that  the  basket  boat  of  the  little 
Moses  was  made,  when  he  was  committed  to  the  river,  and 
boats  of  the  same  grass  have  been  made  in  our  day,  though 
its  more  important  use  is  the  making  of  paper,  sheets  of 
which  made  from  papyrus  two  thousand  years  ago  are  still 
in  existence. 

Bamboo  represents  shelter  and  friendship,  in  Indian 
sjrmibolism.  Though  its  flowers  irritate  delicate  noses,  pro- 
ducing something  like  hay-fever,  its  huge  stems  are  used 
for  houses,  corrals,  fences,  furniture,  and  furnishings, 
and  we  are  told  how  Chinese  not  rich  enough  to  own  a 
garden  make  a  raft  of  bamboo  which  they  cover  with  earth, 
and  so  raise  vegetables  on  lakes  and  rivers. 

Our  Indians  of  the  southwest  relate  the  preservation 
of  man  and  the  brutes  through  the  deluge  to  the  canebrake : 
When  the  earth  was  about  to  be  overwhelmed,  the  red  Noah 
called  his  family  and  the  representative  animals  to  enter 
the  hollow  of  a  monster  cane-stalk  with  him,  and,  closing 
the  break,  they  mounted  higher  and  higher  into  its  wood 
as  the  waters  spread  and  deepened.  Now  and  then  the 
big  rush  threatened  to  break  in  the  sway  of  the  storm, 
but  by  repeatedly  strengthening  it  with  scarfs  of  cloud 
they  kept  it  fast.  At  last  the  flood  had  reached  its  height, 
and,  crawling  up  on  the  side  of  the  cane,  the  preserver  of 

125 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  race  reached  its  tip,  and,  pulling  off  the  feather  he 
wore  in  his  hair,  he  swept  it  against  the  sky,  in  memory  of 
which  act  the  canes  have  worn  feathers  ever  since. 

In  the  cosmogony  of  Japan  it  was  a  bulrush,  budded 
at  its  tip  and  piercing  the  misty  heaven  from  the  misty 
earth,  that  carried  the  seed  of  life  into  the  infinite.  The 
bud  opened  and  from  it  came  four  pairs  of  heavenly  be- 
ings, the  last  couple,  Izanagi  and  Izanami,  god  of  the  air 
and  goddess  of  the  clouds,  undertaking  the  creation  of  the 
earth.  They  first  cast  rice  grains  abroad,  to  dispel  the 
darkness  that  prevailed;  then  the  air  god  let  down  his 
spear  and  stirred  the  sea,  which  began  to  eddy,  turning 
faster  and  faster  till  by  its  speed  it  had  brought  up  land 
from  the  bottom  and  thrown  it  out  at  the  feet  of  the  gods. 
When  this  earth  had  dried  a  little,  the  rice  had  root-hold, 
and  so  the  means  of  supporting  animal  life  was  provided, 
while  the  spear  remained  where  Izanagi  had  thrust  it  and 
became  the  centre  of  the  earth,  around  which  all  things 
turn.  Then  the  gods  begat  the  sun  goddess,  who  in  turn 
begat  all  the  flowers  that  lend  beauty  to  this  whirling 
sphere. 

This  rice-straw  figures  curiously  in  one  of  the  Japanese 
legends,  for  it  is  because  the  straw  held  firm  that  Japan  has 
a  summer:  Amaterasu,  goddess  of  day,  had  fled,  discon- 
tented, to  a  cave,  to  escape  the  persecutions  of  her  jealous 
brother  of  the  dark — he  known  as  Susano,  the  moon  god. 
So  long  as  she  hid  her  lights  there  could  be  no  warmth,  no 
vegetation,  not  even  any  water,  for  in  the  chill  did  not 
the  springs  freeze  fast?  A  conspiracy  was  planned  among 
the  earth  dwellers  to  lure  her  from  retirement.  Eight  hun- 
dred girls  were  assembled  before  the  cave  and  told  to  laugh 
their  heartiest.  Amaterasu,  startled  from  her  melancholy, 
stepped  into  the  air  for  a  moment,  and  so  soon  as  she  was 
at  a  little  distance  from  the  grotto  and  the  world  was  filled 

126 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

with  light  again,  they  held  a  mirror  to  her  face  and  bade 
her  look  at  her  new  rival.  Never  before  having  seen  her 
own  countenance,  the  goddess  stood  admiring  it  long  enough 
for  the  plotters  to  close  the  cavern 's  mouth  with  a  stout  rope 
of  rice  straw.  Finding  the  way  into  the  earth  barred,  real- 
izing, too,  how  prettily  she  had  been  tricked,  the  sun 
goddess  laughingly  confessed  the  cleverness  of  the  earth 
people,  and  mounted  again  to  her  place  in  the  sky.  Then, 
as  if  to  amend  for  the  suffering  she  had  caused  by  with- 
drawing light  and  warmth  from  her  worshippers,  she  sent 
her  grandson,  Prince  Plenty,  the  Rice  Prince,  to  live  among 
them,  granting  into  his  keeping  the  magic  mirror,  from 
which  all  Japanese  mirrors  have  been  designed  for  cen- 
turies, and  which  indicate  the  sun  in  their  round  and  shin- 
ing shape.  This  Rice  Prince  lost  hold  on  the  heavenly 
life  by  coming  to  our  planet ;  he  was  the  son  of  gods,  made 
man,  and  he  devoted  his  life  to  the  teaching  and  guidance 
of  the  human  race.  Although  generations  of  kings  come 
and  go  in  other  lands,  the  Prince's  line  has  continued  un- 
broken, the  oldest  royal  family  in  the  world;  for  the  Rice 
Prince  is  ancestor  of  all  the  mikados  who  have  ruled  Japan. 

Japanese  farmers  who  have  not  been  reached  by  the  mis- 
sionaries still  pray  to  the  god  of  rice  for  plenteous  harvest, 
and  hold  the  grain  as  a  symbol  of  generation  as  well  as 
of  abundance — a  symbol  that  has  extended  to  other  lands, 
for  even  in  our  own  country  bridal  couples  are  showered 
with  rice  when  they  set  off  on  their  wedding  journey. 
In  India  the  Brahmins  throw  the  rice  over  the  shoulders  of 
the  couple  after  they  have  mixed  it  with  saffron,  and  when 
the  children  arrive  the  little  fellows  are  taken  into  an  apart- 
ment where  the  father  empties  a  quantity  of  red  rice  over 
their  scalps,  to  keep  off  the  evil  eye. 

Long  ago  the  priests  of  Japan  lived  on  roots  and  plants, 
but  while  meditating  on  the  ineffable,  one  of  the  brother- 

127 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

hood  found  his  thoughts  drawn  to  earth  by  the  behavior  of 
a  mouse  that  was  skurrying  to  and  fro,  carrying  something 
to  its  nest.  The  priest  set  a  trap,  caught  the  little  creature, 
and,  having  tied  a  thread  to  its  leg,  followed  it  as  it  scuttled 
across  the  hills  and  into  a  watery  country  he  had  never 
seen  before,  where  wild  rice  grew  plentifully.  This  the 
priest  found  so  good  that  he  sent  for  his  people  to  cultivate 
it,  and  when  it  had  become  the  food  of  the  nation  the  mouse 
entered  into  the  respect  of  the  public  to  that  degree  that 
you  shall  find  him  in  bronze,  paint,  ivory,  and  porcelain, 
for  he,  too,  is  sacred.  The  Arabs  do  not  admit  this:  they 
claim  the  first  rice  grains  to  have  been  drops  of  sweat 
from  the  brow  of  Mahomet. 

The  other  nations  have  their  lore  of  grain,  which  in  the 
north  was  under  protection  of  Hulda,  or  Bertha,  benevolent 
earth  mother.  In  her  anxiety  that  her  fields  should  have 
a  plentiful  crop  of  seed,  she  protected  them  against  damag- 
ing visitors  by  stationing  were-wolves  at  the  boundaries. 
Loki,  the  mischievous  fire  god,  would  sometimes  steal  past 
the  wolves  and  sow  his  wild  oats ;  and  when  heat  shimmers 
over  his  farm  the  Jutlander  says,  * '  Loki  is  sowing  his  wild 
oats.''  Two  weeds  still  carry  his  name,  in  the  north:  the 
polytrichium  commune,  which  are  Loki's  oats,  and  the  yel- 
low rattle,  or  rhinanthus,  which  is  Loki's  purse.  For  some 
reason  rye-fields  at  that  time  were  affected  by  devils,  of 
whom  the  peasantry  were  so  afraid  that  when  they  reaped 
the  harvest  they  left  the  last  sheaf  for  these  imps  to  quarrel 
over  while  they  hurried  the  rest  of  the  crop  into  the  barn. 
But  demons  never  quarrelled  over  the  bed  straw,  galeum 
verum  luteum,  because  it  was  too  holy  for  their  touch:  it 
filled  the  manger  where  the  child  Jesus  lay ;  hence  it  became 
a  custom  to  strew  such  of  it  as  had  been  used  in  the  Christ- 
mas festivities  over  the  fields,  to  bless  them  and  increase 
the  harvest;  also  to  spread  it  in  the  stalls  as  a  litter  for 

128 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

cattle,  to  keep  them  from  disease,  and  lastly,  to  heap  it  on 
the  floor  as  a  bed  for  the  whole  family  on  Christmas  night. 

When  the  Spanish  adventurer  Cortez  came  to  this  west- 
ern world,  he  was  more  concerned  for  gold  than  he  was  for 
grain,  yet  he  became  the  unwitting  agent  in  the  begetting 
of  more  wealth  for  us  than  he  could  ever  have  taken  away, 
had  he  lived  till  now:  for  it  was  from  a  few  kernels  of 
grain,  brought  by  one  of  his  party  through  sheer  oversight, 
and  shaken  upon  the  earth  of  Mexico,  that  the  crops  of  this 
country  are  alleged  to  grow.  So  largely  is  our  wealth  a 
matter  of  wheat,  rye,  oats,  and  barley,  that  if  we  were  a 
more  imaginative  people,  we  should  be  justified  in  a  revival 
of  the  ancient  festivals,  held  at  harvest  time,  in  honor  of  the 
goddess  of  grain,  who  in  her  various  names  and  aspects  is 
Ceres,  Rhea,  Hera,  Demeter,  Cybele,  Tellus,  and  Isis. 

Proserpine,  passing  six  months  on  earth  and  six  in 
Hades,  types  the  plant  that  sleeps  in  winter  and  flourishes 
in  summer,  and  this  tale  of  the  nymph  who  is  spirited  away 
to  lightless  depths  to  emerge  again  for  a  season  has  its 
complete  or  partial  likeness  among  primitive  peoples,  east 
and  west ;  in  fact,  a  survival  of  the  ancient  rites  of  Greece 
is  found  in  India,  where  the  bride  is  crowned  with  corn 
as  a  symbol  of  fertility.  Grain  was  Egypt's  wealth,  and 
in  many  tongues  we  read  the  parable  of  the  man  who  bade 
his  son  search  diligently,  for  there  was  buried  treasure  in 
his  field.  The  son  plowed  and  dug  for  years,  and  discov- 
ered no  buried  coin,  but  his  plowing  resulted  in  splendid 
crops,  and  from  these  he  earned  much  money,  so  that  he 
was  content;  and  when  he  had  become  so,  and  had  earned 
the  right  to  rest,  he  understood  that  the  treasure  was  the 
earth's  fatness,  and  that  in  increasing  its  yield  of  yellow 
grain  he  had  lived  more  happily  and  usefully  than  if  he 
had  uncovered  gold. 

It  has  been  claimed  for  millet  that  if  eaten  on  New  Year 
9  129 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

day  it  will  make  the  eater  rich,  and  this  despite  the  poverty 
of  many  whose  diet  is  millet,  mostly.  The  unaccountable 
wanderings  and  shiftings  of  these  fancies,  as  we  deem  them, 
but  of  symbols  and  figures  as  they  often  are,  discover  con- 
nections in  beliefs  that  appear  widely  unrelated  at  first 
glance.  For  instance,  this  belief  in  New  Year  luck  relates 
millet  to  an  earlier  faith  among  the  Germans  that  it  was 
the  food  of  the  great  storm  dragon,  and  also  to  the  fancy 
that  grain  took  its  color  from  gold.  For  when  the  thunder 
beast,  from  his  hiding  in  the  clouds,  dropped  red  lightning, 
it  signified  that  gold  had  fallen  on  the  earth  where  the  bolt 
had  struck,  whereas  if  he  spat  blue  fire  it  meant  that  he 
had  sown  millet  for  his  own  eating.  Hence  gold  and  millet, 
being  made  by  the  same  power  and  process,  were  in  a  meas- 
ure transmutable.  In  Persia,  the  myth  takes  a  different 
form,  yet  is  recognizable  as  a  relative,  for  there  the  dragon 
is  still  an  inhabitant  of  the  sky,  and  is  a  more  pleasing 
object  than  the  lightning:  he  is  the  rainbow.  And  instead 
of  throwing  gold  to  the  earth,  he  drops  it  gently,  so  that 
you  shall  find  treasure  where  the  end  of  his  body  rests  upon 
the  ground. 

No  amative  significance  attaches  to  grain  in  America, 
but  there  is  a  custom  in  New  England  of  pairing  young 
men  and  women  at  the  corn  huskings,  when  neighbors  aid 
one  another  to  strip  the  ears  of  maize,  and  this  carries  with 
it  the  privilege  of  a  swain  to  kiss  the  girl  beside  him  if  he 
finds  an  ear  with  red  kernels.  In  old  England  the  last  ear 
of  grain  in  harvest  is  cut  by  the  prettiest  girl,  who  permits 
no  such  consolation  to  her  admirers. 

There  is  one  grain  known  to  every  city  child:  the  se- 
same; for  was  it  not  by  that  magic  name  that  Ali  Baba 
opened  the  cave  of  the  forty  thieves?  The  sesame,  or  se- 
samum,  is  described  as  an  oily  pulse  that  is  sown  before 
the  rising  of  the  seven  stars,  and  was  created  by  the  god 

130 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

of  death,  whence  the  orientals  use  it  in  services  of  repent- 
ance, expiation,  or  purification.  Sesame  is  mixed  with  rice 
and  honey  in  the  cakes  offered  to  the  dead,  and  '  *  the  offer- 
ing of  the  six  sesames"  being  duly  made,  at  six  different 
times,  the  giver  believes  that  the  departed  has  received 
his  admission  to  heaven.  When  an  Hindu  funeral  is  over 
and  the  body  is  burned,  the  friends  leave  half  a  pound  or  so 
of  sesame  on  the  bank  of  the  river  where  the  burning  has 
occurred,  and  on  which  the  ashes  are  drifting,  that  the 
dead  may  feed  on  it  and  gather  strength  for  the  long 
journey  into  the  hereafter. 

HAWTHORN 

While  Christ  was  resting  in  a  wood  during  the  pursuit 
prior  to  his  crucifiixion,  the  magpies  covered  him  with  haw- 
thorn, which  the  swallows,  ''fowls  of  God,''  removed  as 
soon  as  his  enemies  had  passed.  From  this  circumstance 
the  plant  gained  holiness,  and  in  the  chapter  on  Christian 
legends  may  be  read  how  Joseph  of  Arimathea  planted  the 
white  thorn  of  Glastonbury,  which,  to  prove  its  saintly  asso- 
ciation, flowers  on  Christmas  eve,  no  matter  what  the 
weather.  A  kindred  instance  is  recorded  in  the  life  of 
Charlemagne,  when  he  knelt  before  the  crown  of  thorns, 
which  is  alleged  to  have  been  fashioned  from  the  hawthorn. 
The  wood,  dry  for  centuries,  burst  into  bloom  and  the  air 
was  filled  with  a  wondrous  fragrance. 

After  thousands  of  Calvinists  had  been  put  to  death  dur- 
ing the  St.  Bartholomew's  massacre,  the  wearied  slayers, 
surfeited  with  slaughter,  were  fain  to  allow  the  survivors  to 
escape.  But  the  priests  spurned  the  flagging  spirits  of  the 
people  by  declaring  that  heaven  applauded  the  stamping 
out  of  heresy,  and  had  proved  it  by  kindling  into  new  life 
the  hawthorn  bush  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Holy  Innocents, 

131 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

**as  if  it  had  drunk  the  blood  of  heretics  and  gained  new 
strength  from  it. ' '  So  the  populace  marched  to  the  grave- 
yard, where,  true  enough,  the  hawthorn,  or  **holy  thorn," 
had  put  forth  a  wondrous  mass  of  bloom;  and,  seeing  it, 
the  men  who  had  done  what  they  truly  believed  to  be  the 
will  of  heaven,  fell  on  their  knees  and  worshipped  the  inno- 
cent flowers  of  the  * '  albespyne. " 

At  Bosworth  field  the  crown  of  Richard  III.  was  hid  in 
a  hawthorn,  and,  being  recovered  after  the  death  of  that 
misshapen  monarch,  was  placed  on  the  head  of  Richmond, 
who  thereon  took  as  his  device  a  crown  in  a  hawthorn. 


HAZEL 

Moncure  D.  Conway  associates  the  name  of  hazel  with 
the  Syrian  hazeh,  meaning  hazy,  since  mysteries  associated 
with  the  ancient  religions  were  of  that  effect  on  beholders 
and  participants.  He  also  believes  that  our  word  hazing 
is  derived  from  the  same  root,  that  being  a  process  of  induc- 
tion into  the  mysteries  of  study,  the  excesses  of  which 
were  best  corrected  with  the  hazel  rod  of  the  schoolmaster. 
The  hazel,  too,  was  a  tree  of  Thor,  and  protected  buildings 
and  graves  against  lightning.  It  took  on  sanctity  because 
the  holy  family  was  sheltered  by  a  hazel  in  the  flight  to 
Egypt.  It  is  used  as  a  means  of  securing  crops,  warding 
off  lightning,  curing  fever,  and  driving  devils  out  of 
cattle.  It  takes  only  three  hazel  pins  to  preserve  a  house 
from  fire,  if  they  are  driven  into  its  beams ;  also,  a  hazel  cut 
at  twelve  o'clock  on  Walpurgis  night  and  carried  in  the 
pocket  will  prevent  the  one  who  carries  it  from  tumbling 
into  holes,  though  never  so  drunk.  If  you  cut  it  on  Good 
Friday  or  St.  John's  eve,  you  can  lash  your  enemy  with 
it  in  your  own  apartments,  and  without  seeing  him.  Merely 
name  him  and  lay  stoutly  about  you,  and  your  foe  will 

132 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

dance  and  bellow,  no  matter  if  he  is  a  thousand  miles 
away. 

The  hazel  is  the  caduceus  of  Mercury,  which  roused  in 
all  who  were  touched  by  it  love  of  kin,  country,  and  the 
gods ;  and,  as  everybody  knows  in  our  time,  it  is  the  divining 
rod,  cut  in  a  Y  from  a  dividing  branch,  one  handle  held  in 
the  right  hand,  the  other  in  the  left,  its  point  toward  the 
ground,  and  so  held  it  is  to  indicate  hidden  springs,  or 
gold  and  silver.  It  is  told  that  Linnaeus,  having  no  belief 
in  these  tales,  hid  a  purse  of  a  hundred  ducats  under  a 
ranunculus,  and  bade  a  fellow  find  it  with  a  hazel  wand, 
if  he  could.  An  unasked  company,  hearing  of  money  in 
the  ground,  tore  up  the  pasture  and  destroyed  the  ranun- 
culus and  other  plants,  so  that  the  owner  of  the  ducats  could 
no  longer  tell  where  he  had  hidden  his  wealth ;  but  the  man 
with  the  hazel,  disregarding  all  guesses  and  advice,  pres- 
ently marked  the  spot  where,  sure  enough,  the  coin  was 
hidden,  and  from  which  it  was  safely  removed.  Another 
such  experiment,  said  the  botanist,  and  he  would  believe 
in  the  witchery  of  hazel  himself.  But  it  was  observed  that 
he  risked  no  more  of  his  ducats  in  experiments. 

When  Adam  was  expelled  from  paradise  God  pitied 
him  to  the  degree  that  he  allowed  him  to  create  new  animals 
by  striking  water  with  a  hazel  rod;  and  he,  having  so 
produced  a  sheep.  Eve,  forsooth,  must  try  her  prentice 
hand  and  bring  a  wolf  into  the  world,  which  forthwith 
sprang  at  the  sheep.  Adam  regained  the  rod,  and  with  it 
summoned  into  existence  a  dog  that  conquered  the  wolf. 

The  first  Christian  church  at  Glastonbury,  England, 
was  a  wattled  house  of  hazels ;  it  was  a  wand  of  hazel  with 
which  St.  Patrick  drove  the  Irish  snakes  into  the  sea ;  and 
the  pilgrim's  staff  was  made  of  this  wood  and  often  buried 
with  him  when  he  died  of  disease  or  exhaustion  on  his  way 
to  Jerusalem.     Magicians  used  it  also  in  summoning  fiends ; 

133 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Circe  employed  it  in  turning  her  lovers  into  swine ;  in  one 
version  of  the  legend,  Aaron 's  rod  was  made  of  it ;  and  such 
was  the  sanctity  it  obtained  from  that  circumstance  that 
oats  fed  to  horses  in  Sweden  are  touched  with  hazel  boughs, 
in  God's  name,  that  no  harm  may  come  to  them  from  the 
eating.  In  that  country,  too,  the  hazel  nut  is  one  of  the 
magical  agents  in  making  its  carrier  invisible.  Divining 
rods  must  there  be  cut  at  night  on  the  first  of  the  new 
moon,  or  on  Good  Friday,  or  Epiphany,  or  Shrove  Tuesday, 
the  cutter  facing  east  and  lopping  a  branch  from  the  east 
side  of  the  tree. 

HEATH 

The  heath,  or  heather,  that  decorates  the  Scottish  hills, 
commemorates  in  its  name  the  efforts  of  the  Christians  to 
convert  the  Picts.  When  the  latter  were  visited  by  armed 
missionaries  who  ordered  them  to  cease  the  worship  of 
false  gods,  the  Picts  unreasonably  gave  battle,  and  the 
plants  that  were  bedewed  with  the  blood  of  the  heathen 
became  the  heathen,  or  heath,  for  short.  When  all  except 
two  of  the  tribe  had  been  killed,  these  survivors — father 
and  son — were  taken  before  Kenneth,  the  conqueror,  who 
promised  them  life  if  they  would  tell  him  how  to  mal^e  heath 
beer.  They  remained  silent.  Thinking  to  force  the  older 
man  to  compliance,  the  king  put  the  son  to  death  before  the 
father's  eyes.  In  anger  and  disgust,  the  old  man  refused 
to  grant  any  favor  to  so  brutal  a  victor,  and  the  secret  of 
the  drink  was  never  known,  although,  for  shame's  sake, Ken- 
neth suffered  his  prisoner  to  live.  In  the  Jura  the  secret 
still  survives,  for  the  peasants  of  that  region  continue  to 
make  a  beer  in  which  two  parts  of  heath  tops  are  combined 
with  one  of  malt.  But  the  heath  of  the  Jura  is  not  stained 
with  a  people's  blood. 

134 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

HELIOTROPE 

The  Greek  word  heliotrope  means  to  turn  toward  the 
sun.  We  apply  the  name  to  a  modest  flower  of  purple  color 
and  delightful  odor,  that  came  from  Peru,  and,  being 
adopted  into  France,  was  called  there  herb  of  love.  What 
the  original  heliotrope  was,  we  do  not  know  with  certainty, 
but  it  is  supposed  to  be  a  plant  known  in  Germany  as 
God's  herb,  and  to  have  many  healing  qualities.  In  the 
Greek  myth  the  sun  god  Apollo  is  loved  by  Clytia,  for 
whom  he  cares  so  little  that  he  goes  a-wooing  the  princess 
Leukothea.  Clytia  reveals  the  liaison  to  the  king,  who, 
furious  at  the  misconduct  of  his  daughter,  buries  her  alive. 
Apollo  returns  to  the  heavens  without  so  much  as  a  look 
for  the  unhappy  Clytia,  who,  bitterly  conscious  of  the  mis- 
chief she  has  done,  falls  to  the  ground  and  lies  there  for 
nine  days,  watching  the  passing  of  Apollo  in  his  chariot, 
and  praying  for  a  look  of  pity.  Seeing  her  wasted  with 
privation  and  sorrow,  the  gods  have  mercy  and  change  her 
into  the  heliotrope.  She  still  lies  at  length  upon  the  earth 
and  looks  toward  heaven  with  half  averted  eye,  as  waiting 
complete  forgiveness  and  acceptance.  So  our  purple  helio- 
trope is  wrongly  named,  in  that  it  does  not  turn  toward 
the  sun.  Various  plants  have  been  instanced  as  foundation 
for  Ovid's  story:  sunflower,  wartwort,  spurge,  salsify, 
anagallis,  elecampane,  aster,  marigold,  and  blue  marigold. 

HELLEBORE 

This  plant  (see  early  Christian  legend  of  the  Christmas 
rose)  is  commonly  called  black  hellebore, because  of  the  color 
of  its  root.  It  was  a  cathartic  medicine  so  long  ago  as  medic- 
inal use  was  made  of  plants,  and  it  also  purged  human  habi- 
tations of  such  evil  spirits  as  had  gained  entrance,  provided 

135 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  perfuming  of  the  house  was  accompanied  by  proper 
rites  and  hymns.  Cattle  were  blessed  with  hellebore  that 
had  been  dug  within  a  circle  drawn  on  the  earth  with  a 
sword,  the  digger  first  asking  leave  of  Apollo  and  Askle- 
pias.  Arrows  were  rubbed  with  hellebore,  that  the  flesh 
of  animals  to  be  killed  with  them  should  be  tender.  The 
plant  cured  insanity;  and  one  of  the  earliest  instances  of 
a  care  for  the  soul-sick  is  found  in  the  shipping  of  patients 
of  a  gloomy  temper  to  Anticyra,  where  the  herb  grew  plenti- 
fully. 

HEMLOCK 

Hemlock — conium  maculatum:  not  the  tree  we  call  hem- 
lock— was  prescribed  instead  of  the  gallows  and  the  axe 
as  a  means  of  death  for  certain  political  offenders  in  the 
past,  and  was  a  common  drug  of  suicide,  since  it  was  sup- 
posed to  give  a  painless  death.  The  plant  was  considered 
by  the  ancients  as  so  deadly  that  snakes  would  wriggle  away 
even  from  a  leaf  of  it  as  fast  as  their  ribs  would  carry  them, 
lest  they  be  chilled  into  a  paralysis.  It  was  mixed  with  the 
hell  broths  and  ointments  brewed  and  blended  by  witches 
for  mischiefs,  and  in  Eussia  and  Germany  it  is  still  re- 
garded as  the  devil's  own  property.  It  was  by  means  of 
hemlock  that  the  philosopher  was  put  to  death,  after  having 
annoyed  Athens  beyond  endurance  by  exploiting  his  love 
for  argument. 

HEMP 

**  To  stretch  hemp  "  is  a  cant  phrase  for  hanging,  hence 
the  plant  that  furnishes  the  means  for  death  might  be 
thought  to  be  of  evil  omen;  but  since  more  rope  is  used 
for  goodly  purposes  than  for  shutting  off  the  wind  of 
rogues,  the  weed  has  a  kindly  aspect,  especially  for  maids 
who  wish  to  see  their  future  husbands  before  they  are  led 

136 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

to  the  altar,  that  they  may  make  their  plans  wisely  and  put 
in  train  their  fascinations.  The  damsels  must  run  around 
a  church  at  night,  scattering  hemp  seed  as  they  go,  and 
repeating,  **I  sow  hemp  seed.  Hemp  seed  I  sow.  He 
that  loves  me  best,  come  after  me  and  mow. ' '  And,  looking 
over  her  shoulder,  the  sower  experiences  a  pleasing  terror, 
for  she  will  behold  the  wraith  of  a  man,  chasing  her  with 
a  scythe  which  he  swings  through  the  phantom  crop  that 
springs  in  her  footsteps.  Sicilians  use  hempen  threads 
as  a  lure  for  lovers,  for  there  would  seem  in  this  to  be  a 
suggestion  of  the  tying  of  hearts  together.  An  ill  use  that 
is  made  of  hemp  is  that  of  extracting  the  hashish.  The 
eater  of  this  intoxicant  bewilders  his  brain  with  grotesque 
and  unearthly  visions.  Under  its  influence  the  Arabs  be- 
lieve they  can  hear  the  words  and  even  read  the  thoughts  of 
others  at  a  distance. 

HOREHOUND 

Horehound  candy  was  popular  in  our  fathers'  day,  be- 
cause it  was  ''good  for  the  system.''  Horehound,  horse- 
radish, coriander,  lettuce,  and  nettle  are  the  five  bitter 
herbs  ordered  to  be  eaten  by  the  Jews  at  their  Passover 
feast,  and  the  name  of  the  first  also  bespeaks  antiquity 
of  service,  for  it  is  the  seed  of  Horus,  which  the  Egyptian 
priests  dedicated  to  that  god ;  but  how  the  name  of  hound 
attached  to  it  nobody  knows.  In  Egypt  horehound  was  like- 
wise bull's  blood  and  eye-of-a-star.  It  was  one  of  those 
many  plants  that  defended  the  eater  against  poison. 

HOUSE-LEEK 

The  house-leek,  which  is  not  a  leek,  and  grows  in  old 
gardens  and  on  old  walls  as  readily  as  in  houses,  may 
have  taken  its  name  from  a  command  of  Charlemagne 

137 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

that  it  should  be  planted  plentifully  on  the  roofs  of  houses 
in  his  kingdom  that  it  might  protect  them  against  ''thun- 
der." This  curious  little  plant,  with  its  rosettes  of  leathery- 
leaves,  was  anciently  known  under  the  names  of  Jupiter's 
beard — ^not  in  the  least  like  anybody's  beard — Jupiter's  eye, 
ayegreen,  and  thunder  flower.  It  cured  fevers  inflicted  by 
witches;  babes  dosed  with  the  juice  of  it  were  assured  of 
long  life;  and  if  a  person  rubbed  it  over  his  fingers  he 
could  then  handle  hot  iron — once. 

HYACINTH 

The  hyacinth  symbolizes  misfortune  and  sadness,  though 
to  the  gardener  none  is  more  welcome  than  this  early 
visitor,  with  its  luscious  perfume  and  softly  radiant  color. 
The  name  was  borne  by  a  handsome  boy,  who  was  beloved 
by  both  Zephyrus  and  Apollo.  The  lad  preferred  the  god 
of  day  to  the  inconstant  master  of  the  winds,  but  in  ex- 
pressing his  preference  he  did  not  realize  what  danger  he 
incurred.  Apollo  having  challenged  the  young  fellow  to  a 
game  of  quoits,  Zephjrrus  lingered  in  the  wood,  resolved 
to  take  his  revenge.  When  Apollo  hurled  his  discus  at  the 
mark,  the  wind  god  deflected  it  full  against  the  brow  of 
Hyacinthus,  and  killed  him.  But  the  sun  god  declared 
that  while  the  beauty  of  the  boy  had  departed,  it  should 
be  recorded  in  the  finer  beauty  of  a  flower,  and  he  sum- 
moned the  hyacinth  out  of  the  earth,  sighing  upon  it  '*Ai, 
Ai ! "  which  words  of  grief  some  will  affect  to  see,  in  Greek 
character,  on  hyacinth  blooms.  Yet  because  the  sound  is 
like  that  of  ^i  (eternal),  the  plant  has  come  to  signify 
remembrance;  hence  it  used  to  be  sculptured  on  tombs. 

The  wild  hyacinth,  or  bluebell,  otherwise  known  as  wood 
hyacinth,  St.  George's  flower,  and  bending  Endymion, 
represents  benevolence  in  florography,  and  all  hyacinths  ex- 

138 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

pressed  affection  of  old,  no  less  than  ill  ending,  for  Venus 
bathed  in  their  dew  to  increase  her  beauty,  and  they  formed 
the  couches  of  Jove  and  Hera,  and  of  Adam  and  Eve. 


HYPERICUM 

Like  fern  seed,  the  hypericum,  or  St.  Johnswort,  has  a 
way  of  revealing  itself  on  the  eve  of  St.  John  in  a  golden 
glow,  surpassing  the  brightness  of  its  flowers  in  the  sun. 
It  was  the  early  missionaries  to  the  north  who,  finding  this 
plant  devoted  to  witches  that  fought  against  the  sun  (dark- 
ness and  ill  weather  in  symbolry),  gave  to  it  a  new  and 
wholesome  consecration,  which  was  no  doubt  suggested  by 
its  ruddy  sap.  This,  the  good  fathers  said,  indicated  the 
blood  of  the  martyred  John  the  Baptist,  and,  thus  blessed 
by  name,  it  began  to  bless  in  purpose  in  that  it  keeps  off 
the  witches  who,  of  all  nights  in  the  year,  are  abroad 
on  Walpurgis  night,  the  eve  of  St.  John.  When  a  sprig 
of  St.  Johnswort  is  placed  above  the  door,  along  with  a 
cross,  no  witch  or  demon  can  enter.  The  Tyrolese  moun- 
taineer puts  the  wort  into  his  shoes,  believing  that  so  long 
as  it  is  there  he  can  climb  or  walk  without  fatigue. 

INDIAN  PLUME 

An  Indian  girl  living  near  Lake  Saranae  loved  a  youth 
whose  straightness  of  form  and  swiftness  in  war  and  the 
chase  had  caused  him  to  be  named  The  Arrow ;  but  before 
the  time  set  for  the  wedding  a  fearful  pestilence  appeared 
and  ravaged  all  the  Adirondack  villages.  The  Arrow  was 
among  the  first  to  die.  The  people  implored  the  Great 
Spirit  to  be  merciful,  whereupon  he  showed  himself  on  the 
crest  of  the  Storm  Darer.  It  was  their  sins,  he  said,  that 
had  brought  punishment  on  them :  they  had  grown  too  fond 

139 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

of  war  and  bloodshed ;  they  had  held  too  lightly  their  pacts 
with  other  tribes;  they  had  been  careless  in  good  deeds; 
they  had  grown  haughty  and  selfish.  Nothing  but  the 
blood  of  one  much  beloved  would  appease  his  wrath. 

The  people  of  Leelinaw's  village  gathered  to  consider 
this  revelation.  After  a  time  Leelinaw  arose  and  entered 
the  circle.  *'I  am  a  blighted  flower,"  she  said,  "it  is  my 
blood  that  shall  flow  for  you.  Place  me  beside  The 
Arrow. ' ' 

So  speaking,  she  caught  a  stone  knife  from  the  belt  of 
the  priest,  and  slew  herself. 

The  Great  Spirit  saw  from  his  mountain  top,  and  his 
heart  was  softened.  He  swept  away  the  pestilence ;  but  he 
did  more,  for  he  eternalized  the  memory  of  the  sacrifice 
by  causing  the  flower  we  call  the  Indian  plume,  or  Oswego 
tea,  to  spring  from  the  spot  where  Leelinaw's  blood  had 
been  shed. 

IRIS 

No  plant  more  sweetly  recalls  the  gardens  of  our  grand- 
mothers than  the  iris,  or  fleur-de-lis.  Though  showing  by 
its  hollow  stem  that  it  prefers  to  be  near  water,  it  grows 
in  all  manner  of  soil,  and  was  generally  to  be  found  near 
the  porch  of  the  farm-house,  where  its  blossoms,  blue, 
purple,  white,  or  yellow,  were  eagerly  looked  for  as  the 
spring  advanced.  It  vies  with  amethyst  in  the  depth  of  its 
color,  and  with  the  lily  in  its  delicate,  almost  watery  text- 
ure. In  flower  poetry  it  typed  wisdom,  faith,  and  courage ; 
but  in  the  rude  medical  practice  of  earlier  days  it  cured 
*' spleens,"  coughs,  bruises,  fits,  dropsy,  snake-bites,  and 
anger,  and  one  had  only  to  lay  its  petals  on  a  black-and-blue 
spot  for  a  couple  of  days  to  restore  the  bruised  flesh  to  its 
natural  condition.  Scrofula  and  other  blood  diseases  were 
cured  by  creating  an  open  wound  and  inserting  a  bead 

140 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

of  iris  root.  The  root  was  also  to  be  used  for  infants  to 
cut  their  teeth  upon,  and  the  practice  of  placing  beads  of 
iris,  or  orris,  as  it  is  oftener  called  in  the  drug-shops,  about 
the  necks  of  the  little  ones  extended  itself  to  adults,  who 
wear  them  for  ornament.  Leghorn  and  Paris  export 
twenty  millions  of  these  beads  in  a  year.  Orris  is  also  used 
to  throw  upon  fires  and  give  out  a  pleasant  odor;  to 
remove  the  smell  of  liquor,  garlic,  and  tobacco  from  re- 
f ormable  breaths ;  and  to  simulate  violet  in  sachets. 

The  Iris  is  really  meant  when  we  speak  of  the  lilies  of 
France  and  Florence.  Near  the  Italian  city,  it  is  raised 
for  the  sake  of  its  fragrant  root,  while  in  France  it  was 
conventionalized  on  the  royal  arms  and  standards.  King 
Clovis,  of  France,  had  for  his  coat-of-arms  three  black 
toads.  In  peace  they  served  him  well  enough,  but  every 
time  he  went  to  war  the  toads  on  his  shield  were  soundly 
battered,  and  some  fear  was  felt  lest  the  swords  of  the 
enemy  pass  through  them  and  pierce  the  body  of  his  maj- 
esty. But  one  day  a  holy  hermit,  gazing  from  his  cell  in 
contemplation,  was  startled  by  the  appearance  of  an  angel 
bearing  a  shield  as  blue-bright  as  was  the  sky,  with  three 
flowers  of  iris  enameled  on  it  and  shining  like  the  sun. 
The  old  man  took  the  shield,  with  news  of  its  heavenly 
origin,  to  Clotilde,  the  queen,  who  gave  it  to  the  king. 
Clovis  expunged  the  toads  from  his  armorial  bearings,  and 
in  his  next  fight  bore  the  angel's  shield,  observing,  when 
it  was  over,  that  all  stains  of  battle  had  disappeared,  and 
that  the  lilies  shone.  From  that  day  his  armies  triumphed 
in  every  field,  and  France,  inheriting  not  only  his  prowess 
and  his  fame,  but  the  shield  itself,  adopted  the  lilies  for  the 
royal  standard.  The  iris  then  symbolized  Christianity, 
which  faith  Clovis  at  once  adopted,  in  accordance  with  his 
vow  to  do  so  if  he  should  win  a  victory  against  the  Germans. 
Doubters  say  that  he  never  wore  the  toads  as  a  blazon, 

141 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

but  took  the  iris  on  his  accession  to  the  throne.  The  blos- 
soms, being  badly  represented  by  the  rude  artists  of  that 
day,  were  mistaken  for  toads.  At  all  events,  they  became 
more  like  lilies  as  time  went  on,  and  kept  their  place  till 
the  Revolution  brought  in  the  symbolry  of  the  cock,  the 
eagle,  the  Roman  fasces,  and  the  bee.  The  seventh  Louis 
adopted  the  iris  in  his  crusades  of  1137,  for  it  appeared 
miraculously  pictured  on  his  white  standards;  hence  it 
became  known  as  the  flower  of  Louis,  though  its  earlier 
name  may  have  been  flower  de  luce,  or  flower  of  light.  At 
first  the  royal  standards  were  thickly  sown  with  this  em- 
blem, but  Charles  V.  reduced  them  to  three,  to  typify  the 
trinity. 

JAMBU,  OR  SOMA 

A  huge  tree  bearing  a  great  fruit,  known  to  the  Hindus 
as  the  jambu  but  to  botanists  as  eugenia  jamhos,  is  the 
*  *  fruit  of  kings ' '  that  gave  its  name  to  the  continent  Jamb- 
duvipa,  and  was  one  of  the  four  trees — ghanta,  kadamba, 
ambala,  and  jambu — that  marked  the  cardinal  points  where 
the  four  giant  elephants  held  up  the  world.  Four  great 
rivers  run  from  this  tree,  in  the  cosmogenic  myth,  for  its 
fruit  was  then  as  large  as  elephants,  and  breaking  as  they 
fell,  when  ripe,  they  released  the  flood  now  called  the 
Jambu  River.  This  stream,  fed  expressly  from  its  fruits, 
is  therefore  sacred,  and  a  stream  of  health,  as  near  to  the 
precious  soma  of  the  gods  as  mortals  may  hope  to  know. 
Brahma  having  breathed  upon  the  tree  and  imbued  it  with 
eternal  life,  it  exhales  the  perfume  of  his  breath.  The  dead 
climb  into  its  branches  for  new  strength  as  they  begin 
the  journey  to  the  sky  where  the  immortals  are.  It  is  as  the 
soma,  however,  that  the  tree  is  king  of  plant  life  in  the 
world,  for  soma  yields  the  divine  ambrosia,  the  drink  of 
eternity.     When  the  gods  arrived  on  Mount  Himavant  in 

142 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

their  boat  of  gold,  the  costus,  or  kushtha,  threw  forth  such 
a  light  that  it  revealed  this  neighbor  tree,  which,  in  its 
earlier  aspects,  yielded  night  and  day  before  the  sun  and 
stars  were  created.  It  formed  a  visible  body  for  Brahma 
himself,  bore  every  kind  of  fruit  known  to  the  world, 
and  the  gods  sit  in  its  shade  drinking  soma  and  constantly 
renewing  their  youth. 

The  Hindu  soma  is  thought  by  some  scientists  to  be 
asclepias  acida,  a  name  that  seems  to  relate  it  to  our  milk- 
weeds. In  the  Punjab,  where  it  is  known  as  the  moon 
plant,  it  represents  or  emblemizes  the  moon  god,  who  seems, 
in  turn,  to  have  a  care  for  it,  and  the  sap,  fermented  and 
described  as  **a  very  nasty  drink,"  is  an  elixir  of  life. 
The  juice  is  variously  called  sharp  and  acid,  and  astringent 
and  bitter;  hurtful  in  large  doses,  because  it  is  a  narcotic, 
and,  without  inducing  sleep,  benumbs  the  body  and  dan- 
gerously lowers  vitality.  To  the  Oriental  mind,  always 
eager  for  equivalents  and  parables,  the  milkiness  of  its  sap 
symbolizes  the  motherhood  of  nature,  while  the  division  of 
its  blossom  into  five  petals  has  a  mystic  meaning  for  the 
Indian;  hence,  the  yogi,  or  wise  man,  drinks  soma  at 
his  initiation  into  the  mysteries  of  priesthood,  and  sees 
that  which  the  common  man  may  not,  who  is  unworthy 
to  taste  it. 

JASMINE 

We  who  know  the  jasmine  only  as  a  greenhouse  plant 
with  a  few  white  blossoms  do  not  realize  the  possibilities  of 
the  species,  for  in  tropical  lands  it  becomes  a  tree-cloud  of 
flowers,  white  and  pink,  and  deliciously  fragrant.  And 
in  spite  of  the  abundance  of  flowers  in  the  hot  countries 
the  people  prize  them  as  we  do  not  always  prize  our 
sunsets  and  our  northern  lights.  True,  we  are  developing 
a  better  appreciation  of  the  common  and  neglected  beauties 

143 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

of  the  wood  and  wayside,  but  we  make  no  such  use  of 
flowers,  even  in  our  social  functions,  as  the  Mexicans  and 
Central  Americans  make  of  rose,  flamboyant  and  jasmine. 
They  are  sold  in  the  towns  for  little  money,  hence  the  people 
can  afford  them  for  decorations  as  we  can  afford  the 
goldenrod  and  daisy,  and  they  use  them  lavishly  in  their 
churches  and  homes  on  feast  days. 

Many  flowers  died  of  sorrow  on  crucifixion  night,  but 
the  jasmine  merely  folded  its  leaves  and  endured  its  pain, 
and  in  the  morning,  when  it  reopened,  it  was  no  longer 
pink,  as  it  had  been  before:  it  had  turned  pale,  and  was 
never  to  show  color  again.  In  the  east  it  is  highly  esteemed, 
and  the  Indian  women  braid  it  into  their  hair  when  they 
receive  it  from  their  lovers,  inasmuch  as  it  promises  long 
affection.  It  is  worn  in  bridal-wreaths  for  that  reason, 
though  its  oriental  name  of  dark-and-thoughtful  suggests 
no  connubial  delights,  nor  is  its  legend  gladsome,  for  that 
represents  the  despair  and  suicide  of  a  princess  who  dis- 
covers that  the  sun  god  has  transferred  his  love  from  her  to 
a  rival.  From  her  tomb  sprang  the  night  jasmine,  known  as 
the  sad  tree,  whose  flowers  still  shrink  in  reproach  and 
horror  from  the  sun,  shedding  their  petals  at  the  dawn. 
To  the  Arabs,  again,  it  is  a  flower  of  love,  imaging  the 
charm  of  a  sweetheart,  though  they  call  it  the  yas  min, 
which  means,  despair  is  folly,  and  suggests  an  Omar  Khay- 
yam mood  of  heedlessness  rather  than  the  tenderness  of 
love. 

JUNIPER 

Venerable  antiquity  pertains  to  the  German  tradition 
of  the  juniper :  that  a  boy  entering  a  chest  to  pick  up  an 
apple  is  caught  and  killed  by  his  step-mother,  who  boils 
his  flesh  for  soup,  and  buries  his  bones  under  a  juniper. 
She  is  disconcerted  when  the  tree  takes  fire  and  a  bird  leaps 

144 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

from  its  branches,  flying  over  the  land  and  spreading  the 
story  of  the  murder.  The  bird  carries  gifts  to  the  boy's 
sister,  and  breaks  the  head  of  the  wicked  woman  by  causing 
a  mill-stone  to  drop  upon  it;  after  which  exploit  the  bird 
reenters  the  flames  of  the  juniper  and  takes  on  human 
shape :  he  is  the  boy  once  more. 

Under  the  following  circumstances,  the  juniper  serves 
as  a  thief -catcher :  Bend  a  young  juniper  toward  the  earth 
and  hold  it  down  where  you  have  placed  it  with  two 
weights:  a  big  stone  and  the  brain-pan  of  a  murderer. 
You  are  then  to  say,  **  Juniper,  I  bend  and  squeeze  you  till 
the  thief"  (here  you  name  the  suspect)  ''returns  what  he 
has  taken,  to  its  place."  So  soon  as  the  rascal  feels  an 
unaccountable  impulse  coursing  through  his  legs  and  mind 
to  restore  the  abstracted  property,  your  injunction  is  in 
process  of  fulfilment,  and  you  are  then  in  all  speed  and 
kindness  to  release  the  tree  from  its  cramped  position. 

To  the  Greeks  the  juniper  was  a  tree  of  the  furies, 
though  it  had  not  then  been  distilled  to  gin.  Its  berries 
were  burned  at  funerals  to  keep  off  demons,  while  its 
green  roots  smoked  as  incense  on  offerings  to  the  god  of  hell. 
It  is  one  of  the  trees  that  opened  their  arms  to  afford  hiding 
to  Mary  and  Jesus  in  the  flight  to  Egypt.  It  sheltered 
Elijah,  too,  from  King  Ahab;  and  the  idea  that  it  is  a 
refuge  for  the  weak  or  hunted  continues  in  the  supposition 
that  hares  find  safety  in  its  shadow  when  hounds  pursue, 
and  that  its  odor  will  kill  any  scent  that  dogs  can  follow. 
In  later  years  it  was  burned  in,  or  its  sap  was  smeared 
over,  dwellings  and  stables,  to  keep  off  evil  spirits,  and  in 
Italy  it  is  a  protection  against  witches,  because  when  they 
find  one  at  a  door  they  are  compelled  to  count  all  its  leaves 
before  they  can  enter — a  task  so  hopeless  that  they  usually 
give  it  up. 

10  145 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

LARCH 

Have  a  larch  about  the  house,  for  when  burned  it  dis- 
turbs snakes.  Sundry  Romans  built  their  bridges  of  this 
timber,  because  they  regarded  it  as  almost  fire-proof.  A 
ship  of  larch  that  had  been  floated  after  sinking  in  twelve 
fathoms  of  water  was  declared  to  be  absolutely  indestruc- 
tible by  fire,  so  hard  had  the  sea  made  it.  To  the  French, 
this  tree,  the  pinus  larix,  yields  a  manna  that  would  appear 
to  be  little  different  from  the  gum  that  keeps  so  many 
American  jaws  wagging,  for  it  is  chewed  by  mountaineers 
in  order  to  * 'fasten  their  teeth.''  This  gum  was  also  used 
by  witches,  along  with  the  blood  of  basilisks,  the  skin  of 
vipers,  the  feathers  of  the  phoenix,  the  scales  of  salamanders, 
and  other  commodities  that  were  commoner  once  than  they 
are  to-day,  in  the  dreadful  stews  which  were  boiled  at  mid- 
night as  a  preliminary  to  cursing  the  neighborhood. 

LARKSPUR 

This  flower  had  on  its  petals  the  letters  A  I  A,  signify- 
ing Ajax,  terror  of  the  Trojans.  Disappointed  in  a  divi- 
sion of  the  spoils  after  one  of  his  battles,  this  hot-tempered 
soldier  rushed  into  the  open  and  wreaked  his  anger  on  a 
flock  of  sheep,  stabbing  several  with  his  sword  before  he 
recovered  from  his  madness.  Ashamed  of  the  spectacle  he 
had  made  of  himself,  he  turned  his  sword  into  his  own 
vitals  and  perished.  His  blood,  pouring  over  the  sod,  flow- 
ered into  the  air  again  as  the  delphinium  Ajacis,  but  some 
who  are  able  to  read  only  so  far  as  the  first  two  letters  of 
his  name  on  the  petals,  construe  them  as  the  wailing  cry  of 
Ai,  Ai!  still  to  be  heard  in  the  east  when  Fate  oppresses. 
The  name  delphinium  is  applied  because  the  buds  were  held 

146 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

to  resemble  a  dolphin ;  but  it  has  suggested  many  things  to 
many  eyes,  for  it  is  also  known  as  lark's  heel,  lark's  toe, 
lark's  claw,  lark's  spur,  and  knight's  spur. 

LAUREL 

However  it  came  by  its  symbolry,  the  laurel,  or  sweet 
bay,  was  prized  by  the  Greeks  as  an  averter  of  ill,  and  hung 
over  their  doors  to  keep  off  lightning.  From  a  token  of 
safety,  it  became  a  badge  of  victory.  Generals  sent  dis- 
patches to  the  emperor  encased  in  laurel  leaves.  The 
leaves  were  woven  into  garlands  and  crowns  for  victors 
in  the  games,  as  were  myrtle,  olive,  pine,  and  parsley. 
If  laurel  were  put  under  a  rhymester's  pillow,  they  made  a 
poet  of  him,  and  if  he  read  his  verses  in  a  university  he  was 
crowned  with  the  leaves  and  berriesj  so  we  have  the  word 
baccalaureate,  which  means,  laurel  berry;  and  as  the  stu- 
dent was  supposed  to  keep  so  closely  to  his  books  that  he 
had  no  thought  for  matrimony,  the  derivative  word  bache- 
lor came  to  be  applied  to  an  unmarried  man.  ^Laurel  also 
gave  power  to  soothsayers  to  look  into  the  future.  The 
Delphian  oracle  chewed  its  leaves  before  seating  herself 
over  the  volcanic  fumes  on  the  tripod,  and  those  who  asked 
her  service  appeared  with  laurel  crowns  and  nibbling  the 
leaves  that  grew  about  Apollo 's  temple,  j  It  shocks  us  a  little 
to  discover  of  the  emperor  Tiberius  that  his  faith  in  the 
protecting  power  of  laurel  was  such  that  whenever  a  storm 
blew  up  he  clapped  on  a  laurel  crown  and  crawled  under 
the  bed,  remaining  in  this  unkingly  attitude  till  the  trouble 
was  over.  LWhile  standing  under  a  bay  tree  one  was  safe 
against  wizards;  and  the  berries  kept  off  various  diseases ;j 
at  least,  Nero  believed  so,  for  during  a  pestilence  he  retired 
to  Laurentium  that  he  might  save  his  precious  health  by 
breathing  air  that  the  laurels  had  purified. 

147 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

We  should  be  in  an  oratorical  plight  indeed  if  we  were 
deprived  of  our  laurel.  It  is  long  since  we  have  used  it  for 
personal  decoration,  though  at  intervals  the  triumph  of  a 
musician  is  confessed  in  the  laurel  wreath  that  is  passed 
across  the  footlights.  Where  did  the  fashion  begin?  Un- 
countable years  ago,  when  Apollo  chided  Cupid  for  wanton 
conduct,  and  the  boy  revenged  himself  by  shooting  the  god 
with  his  golden  arrow,  dooming  him  to  love  the  first  woman 
he  should  meet.  Not  content  with  that,  he  sped  a  second 
shaft,  with  a  leaden  tip,  into  the  breast  of  the  offended 
deity,  so  branding  him  that  he  was  bound  to  create  a  feel- 
ing of  repugnance  in  whomsoever  that  woman  might  be. 
Ere  long  Apollo  met  the  wood  nymph  Daphne,  and  laid 
siege  to  her  heart,  but  Daphne  was  repelled,  and  the  more 
eager  he  became,  the  more  frightened  and  indignant  she. 
At  last  she  found  that  her  only  safety  lay  in  flight,  but 
Apollo  was  close  at  her  heels,  and  when  it  became  plain 
that  her  pursuer  must  overtake  her,  she  prayed  to  the  gods 
to  take  away  the  form  that  had  enchanted  him  and  deliver 
her  from  his  persecutions.  Hardly  had  that  wish  been 
uttered  ere  her  feet  struck  into  the  earth;  her  arms,  that 
she  had  flung  aloft  in  appeal,  began  to  thicken,  and  they, 
too,  became  immovable ;  her  face  disappeared  in  knots  and 
wrinkles;  her  fair  skin  turned  brown;  her  hair,  that  a 
moment  before  had  been  streaming  on  the  wind,  now  rustled 
as  leaves;  and  Apollo,  coming  up  with  outstretched  arms, 
clasped  nothing  but  a  laurel  tree.  Though  the  god  was 
cast  down  in  sorrow,  his  love  was  unquenched.  He  still 
preferred  his  Daphne  to  all  the  trees  of  the  field,  and  he 
ordained  that  locks  of  her  shining  hair — the  leaves  that 
should  be  borne  in  winter  as  well  as  summer — should  crown 
all  who  excelled  in  courage,  service,  or  the  creation  of 
beauty. 

148 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

LEEK 

The  Egyptians  and  the  Druids  viewed  the  bulbs  of  the 
allium  species — lily,  onion,  garlic,  and  leek — as  represent- 
ing the  universe.  Each  successive  layer  about  the  centre 
corresponded  to  the  successive  heavens  and  hells  of  ancient 
cosmogonies.  The  leek  was  much  used  in  secret  ceremonies 
in  the  temples  of  the  Nile.  "To  eat  the  leek,"  which  is 
synonymous  with  eating  crow  pie  and  humble  pie,  is  a 
phrase  that  extends  into  the  antiquity  which  saw  the  rising 
of  the  pyramids,  for  an  inscription  uncovered  in  one  of 
those  monuments  shows  that  the  leek  was  a  common  food 
of  the  poor:  hence  its  association  with  humility. 

In  the  Egyptian  legend,  Dictys,  who  corresponds  to  the 
Greek  Endymion,  was  drowned  while  gathering  the  leek 
from  a  river,  to  the  grief  of  Isis,  the  moon  goddess,  who 
loved  him.  Greece  respected  the  leek  because  Latona,  hav- 
ing lost  her  appetite,  found  it  again  when  she  had  eaten 
freely  of  leeks.  The  leaf  of  the  leek,  too,  is  ' '  the  ribbon  of 
Saints  Maurice  and  Lazarus,'*  and  it  is  the  cord  by  which 
St.  Peter's  mother  sought  to  be  lifted  out  of  hell,  in  an 
odd  legend  of  the  Sicilians.  It  appears  that  this  woman 
was  stingy  and  grudging  to  a  degree,  and  in  all  her  life 
had  never  given  anything  away  except  the  leaf  of  a  leek, 
which  she  threw  to  a  beggar  to  quiet  his  pleading.  When 
she  died  and  was  consigned  to  eternal  torment,  she  begged 
her  son  to  intercede  with  the  Lord  in  her  behalf.  Peter 
begged  the  favor,  but  was  coldly  received.  Said  the  Lord, 
*  *  The  woman  never  did  a  particle  of  good ;  still,  I  will  send 
an  angel  to  her  with  this  leek  leaf,  and  if  it  is  strong 
enough  to  lift  her  out  of  hell,  let  her  be  free."  The  angel 
flew  to  the  pit  and  offered  the  end  of  the  leaf  to  Peter's 
mother,  but  no  sooner  had  she  risen  a  few  feet  than  all 
the  rest  of  the  damned  laid  hold  on  her  so  that  they  might 

149 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

be  lifted,  too.  She  kicked  wildly  at  the  host,  and  struggled 
so  viciously  that  the  leaf  broke  and  she  fell  into  gloomier 
depths  than  ever. 

The  Poles  assume  that  the  leek  was  the  reed  borne  as  a 
mock  sceptre  by  Christ  when  He  was  crowned  with  thorns, 
and  they  place  its  flower-stalk  in  the  hands  of  His  statue 
on  certain  holy  days. 

White  and  green,  the  hues  of  the  leek,  are  the  Cymric 
colors,  and  on  the  1st  of  March  the  Welsh  wear  them 
in  celebration  of  St.  David.  It  has  been  alleged  that  St. 
David,  being  a  holy  and  frugal  man,  subsisted  considerably 
on  leeks,  inasmuch  as  they  grew  wild  in  his  neighborhood. 
On  leaving  his  cell  to  engage  the  Saxons  in  battle,  he  or- 
dered his  soldiers  to  put  leeks  into  their  caps,  that  in  the 
turmoil,  when  men  were  striking  at  close  quarters,  the 
Welsh  might  not  only  spread  terror  into  the  ranks  of  the 
foe  by  charging  the  air  with  this  most  appalling  smell,  but 
could  also  know  one  another.  The  device  was  not  unusual, 
and  several  heraldic  cognizances  had  their  beginnings  in  the 
custom,  notably  that  of  the  Plantagenets  in  the  planta 
genista.  As  the  Welsh  carried  the  field  on  this  occasion, 
they  continued  to  wear  leeks  in  memory  of  their  victory. 

LILY 

Because  of  its  purity,  it  is  especially  fitting  that  the  lily 
should  represent  the  Virgin  and  decorate  her  altars,  for  her 
tomb  was  found  to  be  filled  with  lilies  and  roses  after  her 
ascension.  This  miracle  was  accomplished  in  order  to  aUay 
the  doubts  of  St.  Thomas,  who  could  not  be  persuaded 
that  the  Virgin  had  really  risen  from  the  dead ;  but,  stand- 
ing beside  her  flower-filled  tomb,  he  saw  her  hovering  in 
the  air;  and  when  she  had  flung  her  girdle  to  him  he  was 
forced  to  believe.  In  the  s3mibolry  of  the  Church,  the  lily 
is  also  the  *' attribute''  of  St.  Francis,  St.  Joseph,   St. 

150 


W.  A.  Mansell  &  Co.  Photo. 

CARNATION    LILY,  LILY    ROSE 

FROM  THE  PAINTING  BY  JOHN  SINGER  SARGENT 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Barnard,  St.  Louis  de  Gonzague,  St.  Anthony,  St.  Clara, 
St.  Dominick,  St.  Katharine  of  Siena,  and  the  angel 
Gabriel. 

The  lily  fell  from  grace  in  Gethsemane  when  Christ 
walked  there  on  the  night  before  his  death,  for  every  other 
flower  in  that  garden  bent  its  head  in  sympathy  and  sorrow 
as  he  passed.  The  lily,  shining  in  the  darkness,  said  in  the 
conceit  of  her  own  beauty,  "I  am  so  much  fairer  than  my 
sisters  that  I  will  stand  erect  on  my  stalk  and  gaze  at  him 
as  he  goes  by,  in  order  that  he  may  have  the  comfort  of  my 
loveliness  and  fragrance. ' '  As  he  saw  the  flower,  he  paused 
before  it,  for  a  moment,  possibly  to  admire,  but  as  his  eye 
fell  upon  it,  in  the  moonlight,  the  lily,  contrasting  her  self- 
satisfaction  with  his  humility,  and  seeing  that  all  other 
flowers  had  bent  before  him,  was  overcome  with  shame,  and 
the  red  flush  that  spread  over  her  face  tinges  it  still.  We 
call  it  the  red  lily  for  that  reason,  and  it  never  erects  its 
head  as  it  did  before  that  night. 

The  decorative  qualities  of  the  lily  have  always  been 
appreciated.  In  our  own  days  Mr.  John  S.  Sargent  has 
introduced  it  abundantly  in  his  celebrated  painting  '*  Car- 
nation Lily,  Lily  Rose.'* 

Like  Diana  and  Juno,  Lilith,  the  first  wife  of  Adam, 
carried  the  lily  as  an  emblem. 

The  Greeks  and  Romans  regarded  it,  as  we  do,  as  a  sym- 
bol of  purity,  and  they  crowned  the  bride  and  groom  with 
wreaths  of  lily  and  wheat,  indicating  a  cleanly  and  fertile 
life.  Among  older  nations,  it  typed  virginity  and  inno- 
cence, like  most  of  the  white  flowers ;  hence  the  lilies  on  our 
altars  at  Easter — relics  of  a  sun  worship  begun  in  Egypt — 
will  sometimes  have  their  anthers  removed,  that  the  lilies 
may  remain  virgin.  The  symbolic  use  of  the  lily  persists, 
and  it  was  long  regarded  as  of  good  fortune,  Judith  wear- 
ing it  on  the  night  when  she  went  to  Holofernes,  to  keep  off 
the  evil  she  intended  to  inflict  on  him.    In  Spain  it  was  held 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

that  the  lily  could  restore  human  form  to  any  who  had 
fallen  under  enchantment  and  been  changed  to  beasts. 
In  a  garden  in  that  land,  in  1048,  an  image  of  the  Virgin 
was  seen  to  issue  from  this  flower,  and  as  a  sequence  to  this 
apparition  the  king,  who  lay  ill  of  a  dangerous  disease, 
suddenly  left  his  bed  as  sound  as  ever  he  was.  In  recog- 
nition of  the  divine  help,  he  organized  the  Knights  of  St. 
Mary  of  the  Lily,  three  centuries  before  a  similar  order 
was  instituted  by  the  ninth  Louis  of  France. 

Under  the  rain  the  lilies  of  the  Caucasus  used  to  change, 
sometimes  to  red,  sometimes  to  yellow.  Maidens  tell  their 
fortunes  in  these  revealments,  for,  having  chosen  a  bud, 
they  look  at  it  after  the  shower,  and  if  it  has  opened  yellow 
they  suspect  their  lovers  of  unfaithfulness,  but  if  it  is  red 
they  know  them  to  be  true.  In  an  eleventh-century  legend 
of  that  land,  an  officer  returning  to  his  home  in  the  hills, 
after  the  pains  and  trials  of  war,  brings  with  him  Plini, 
son  of  a  fellow  soldier,  whom  he  adopts.  The  lad,  intro- 
duced to  the  general's  home,  meets  his  daughter,  Tamara, 
a  blushing  damsel  who  has  known  so  little  of  the  world 
that  she  is  as  innocent  as  the  birds  that  sing  among  the 
vines  and  trees  at  the  door.  Plini,  finding  her  ignorant 
of  books,  teaches  her  to  read  and  speak  the  Greek,  even  as 
the  poets  spoke  it.  He  finds  her  unskilled  in  music,  but 
under  his  instruction  she  learns  to  sing  and  play  on  the 
harp.  They  study  together,  they  walk  the  fields  hand  in 
hand;  time  is  not  for  them,  for  the  world  rolls  on  in  an 
eternity  of  happiness.  But  Tamara  has  been  promised  to 
an  official  of  consequence  in  the  Georgian  state,  and,  learn- 
ing of  this,  Plini  and  Tamara  realize  that  they  love  each 
other;  that  apart  they  can  hardly  endure  to  live.  Still, 
the  girl  is  dutiful,  and  will  not  listen  to  her  lover  when 
he  pleads  with  her  to  fly  with  him  to  Greece.  She  promises 
only  to  pray  for  a  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  and,  hoping 
to  obtain  it,  she  visits  a  monk  who  lives  alone  in  the  moun- 

152 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

tains.  Her  retinue  remains  outside  while  she  questions 
the  old  man  in  his  hermitage,  and  it  is  thrown  into  terror 
by  a  storm  in  which  the  place  is  pelted  with  lightnings  and 
shaken  by  thunder.  When  this  has  passed  Tamara  is  no 
longer  seen.  The  attendants  rush  into  the  presence  of  the 
monk  and  demand  that  she  return  to  them.  *'God  has 
heard  our  prayer, '^  he  answers.  **  Tamara  is  no  longer 
troubled.     Behold  her!" 

The  people  follow  the  monk's  gesture  with  their  eyes 
and  observe  a  splendid  lily  in  his  garden  where  none  grew 
before,  and  its  fragrance  comes  to  their  nostrils  like  incense. 
But  the  people  are  doubters,  and  they  will  not  believe  the 
miracle.  They  drag  the  recluse  from  his  cell,  search  the 
building  and  the  shrubbery,  and  with  cries  of  anger  fall 
upon  and  kill  him.  Not  content  with  this,  they  set  fire 
to  all  that  will  burn,  destroying  the  house,  its  statues  of 
the  saints,  its  ancient  trees,  its  library,  so  that  when  they 
go  to  break  the  news  of  the  girl's  disappearance  the  lily 
stands  alone  in  a  field  of  ashes. 

In  the  excess  of  his  grief  Tamara 's  father  dies,  but 
Plini  hastens  to  the  scene  of  the  floral  transfiguration  and, 
standing  before  the  flower,  cries,  **Is  it  indeed  you,  Tam- 
ara ? ' '  And  there  is  a  whisper,  as  of  wind  moving  through 
its  leaves :  *  *  It  is  I. "  The  youth  bends  above  the  lily,  and 
his  tears  fall  on  the  earth  beside  it.  Yet,  blinded  as  he  is 
by  grief,  he  cannot  but  observe  that  the  leaves  turn  yellow 
as  with  jealousy.  The  next  drops  fall  into  the  flower 
itself,  and  it  flushes  red  with  joy.  That  night  he  falls  into 
such  a  passion  of  weeping  that  the  Lord  changes  him  into 
a  rain-cloud,  that  he  may  the  oftener  refresh  the  lily  that 
was  his  love.  And  in  after  years,  when  dryness  bakes  the 
earth,  the  girls  go  out  from  their  villages  and  strew  lilies 
over  the  fields,  singing  Tamara 's  song  as  they  march.  See- 
ing these  flowers,  the  cloud  arises  and  pours  warm  tears 
over  the  land. 

153 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

A  boy  regarded  as  an  "innocent/'  or  imbecile,  was 
accepted  by  a  kind  abbot  as  an  inmate  of  his  monastery 
near  Seville.  The  brethren  did  their  best  to  instruct  him, 
but  as  he  seemed  to  remember  nothing  from  hour  to  hour 
he  was  put  at  work  in  the  fields  and  about  menial  tasks  in 
the  building.  He  did  with  patience  what  was  expected  of 
him,  but  was  shy  because  of  his  infirmity,  and  at  every 
chance  would  steal  into  the  church,  where  he  might  sit 
alone,  murmuring  to  himself,  ' '  I  believe  in  God ;  I  hope  for 
God;  I  love  God."  And  there,  after  a  day  in  the  garden, 
they  found  the  guileless  fool,  his  hands  folded,  a  serene 
smile  on  his  face:  dead.  The  words  he  had  so  often  re- 
peated were  carved  on  the  cross  at  his  head  when  they 
buried  him.  Shortly  a  lily  sprang  from  the  grave,  and, 
curious  to  know  its  origin,  the  abbot  ordered  the  body  to 
be  exhumed,  whereupon  it  was  found  that  the  heart  of  the 
innocent  had  become  the  root  of  the  flower. 

In  a  folk-tale  of  Normandy  a  knight  who  had  resisted  the 
charms  of  the  sex  till  he  had  acquired  a  reputation  for 
coldness  that  exempted  him  from  its  assault,  was  accus- 
tomed to  spend  much  time  in  graveyards,  where  he  would  be 
seen  in  a  listening  attitude,  as  if  he  expected  some  message 
from  the  dead  which  would  show  him  the  way  to  happiness. 
And  the  way  came  as  he  did  not  expect  it,  for,  so  wandering 
among  the  tombs,  he  met  on  a  fair  morning  a  woman  of 
beauty  such  as  he  had  never  before  imagined.  She  was  sit- 
ting on  one  of  the  marbles,  dressed  in  precious  stuffs,  with 
glowing  jewels  at  her  waist,  and  hair  as  yellow  as  the  pollen 
of  the  lily  she  held  in  her  hand.  Her  presence  breathed 
a  sweetness  that  filled  him  with  admiration  and  awe,  and, 
kneeling,  he  kissed  her  hand,  at  which  salute  the  lady 
woke,  as  from  a  dream,  and,  smiling  on  him,  said,  **Sir 
knight,  will  you  take  me  to  your  castle?  You  have  sought 
me  long,  and  I  have  come  at  last,  for  I  have  been  waiting 
the  hour  when  I  might  disclose  myself.     That  happiness 

154 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

you  have  denied  to  yourself  so  long,  it  is  mine  to  give. 
But  before  I  go  with  you  I  must  exact  one  promise,  and  it 
is  that  none  shall  speak  of  death  when  I  am  near.  Think 
of  me  as  representing  the  life  of  the  world,  the  bloom  of 
youth,  the  tenderness  of  love,  and  think  of  this  as  yours 
forever. ' ' 

The  knight,  enraptured,  lifted  the  maid  to  his  horse; 
the  animal  cantered  away  without  seeming  to  feel  her  added 
weight,  and  as  they  rode  through  the  fields  the  wild  flowers 
bent  their  heads,  the  trees  murmured  musically,  and  fra- 
grance filled  the  air,  as  from  unseen  beds  of  lilies.  So 
they  were  married,  and  were  very  happy.  If  now  and  then 
some  touch  of  his  old  sad  manner  was  seen  in  the  knight, 
his  wife  had  only  to  place  a  lily  against  his  brow  and  all 
melancholy  disappeared.  Christmas  eve  arrived,  and  a 
great  banquet  was  ordered.  Flowers  of  magic  size  adorned 
his  table,  the  dames  sparkled  with  smiles  and  jewels,  and 
the  lords  wore  so  brave  a  mien  it  was  inspiriting  to  look 
at  them.  And  while  they  feasted  a  minstrel  sang,  now  of 
love,  now  of  war,  of  knightly  adventure,  of  noble  deeds 
and  high  resolves ;  then,  tuning  his  harp  to  a  more  reverent 
strain,  he  sang  of  heaven  and  the  earning  of  it  through 
death.  At  the  word  the  lily  wife  turned  pale  and  began 
to  fade  like  a  flower  touched  with  frost.  Her  husband 
caught  her  in  his  arms  with  a  cry  of  anguish,  for  now  she 
began  visibly  to  shrink,  and  in  a  few  moments  grief  and 
bewilderment  possessed  him,  for,  behold,  he  was  clasping 
a  lily  in  his  arms,  and  its  petals  were  dropping  to  the  floor. 
A  great  sighing  was  heard  in  the  air,  and  the  room  was 
filled  with  a  sweet  odor.  The  knight  turned  away  with 
a  despairing  gesture  and  went  out  into  the  darkness,  never 
again  to  be  seen  by  those  about  his  board.  And  out  of 
doors  a  change  had  come.  It  had  grown  cold  and  bleak, 
and  the  angels  were  scattering  over  the  earth  the  lily  petals 
of  the  snow. 

155 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

LILY  OF  THE  VALLEY 

No  sweeter  flower  blooms  than  the  lily  of  the  valley.  It 
expresses  the  virtues  of  purity  and  humility.  There  is 
somewhat  calming  in  its  whiteness,  and  something  holy  in 
its  perfume.  It  seeks  quiet,  half -shaded  places,  as  if  avoid- 
ing the  ruder  contacts  of  the  world.  Little  May  bells  is  one 
of  its  German  names,  and  in  England  the  old  names  of  May 
flowers  and  May  lilies  are  still  applied,  but  these  are  trite, 
and  ** ladders  to  heaven"  commends  itself  as  a  better.  To 
the  French,  a  tender  meaning  tells  itself  in  *'the  tears  of 
Holy  Mary."  Ostara,  Norse  goddess  of  the  spring,  was  a 
patron  of  the  flower  that  marked  her  coming.  We  find 
a  fitting  use  of  it  in  the  Saga  of  Frithjof,  where  Inge- 
borg,  lamenting  her  hero,  describes  his  grave  as  covered 
with  these  tender  blooms.  Lilies  of  the  valley  are  appro- 
priate gifts  to  be  offered  by  young  swains  when  they  visit 
their  ladies;  and,  indeed,  the  homage  and  implication  of 
purity  and  sweetness  is  poetry  in  itself.  Is  it  any  wonder 
that  the  perfume  distilled  from  these  holy  flowers  should 
have  been  held  so  precious  in  other  times  that  only  gold 
and  silver  vessels  were  fit  to  receive  it? 

In  the  allegory  which  has  been  localized  as  a  legend  in 
Sussex,  England,  St.  Leonard  met  the  frightful  dragon. 
Sin.  For  three  days  he  struggled  against  it,  sometimes 
almost  fainting,  often  desperate  and  fearing,  yet  never 
giving  over  the  fight.  On  the  fourth  morning  he  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  the  creature  trail  its  slimy  length 
into  the  wood,  weak  with  pain,  never  to  encounter  with  him 
again.  Yet  it  had  left  its  marks.  Wherever  its  claws  or 
tusks  had  struck  him  and  his  blood  had  dewed  the  earth, 
heaven  marked  the  spot  and  sanctified  it,  for  there  sprang 
the  lily  of  the  valley.  Pilgrims  might  trace  his  encounters 
in  white  all  about  the  wood;  and  those  who  listened  could 
hear  the  lily  bells  of  snow  chiming  a  round  to  victory. 

156 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

LILAC 

The  lilac,  which  comes  from  Persia  and  retains  the 
name  it  bears  in  that  land,  lilag  meaning  flower,  was  car- 
ried to  Europe  in  the  sixteenth  century  and  brought  to 
this  country  by  the  Puritans.  It  grows  wild  in  southern 
Asia  and  southwestern  Europe,  but  with  us,  who  have 
known  it  as  prince's  feather  and  duck's  bills,  and  also  as 
laylock  and  blow-pipe  tree,  because  pipe-stems  were  made 
from  its  smaller  branches,  it  is  a  loved  occupant  of  the 
garden;  and  what  more  beautiful  than  a  lane  of  lilacs  in 
May  with  heavy  heads  nodding  over  the  walk  and  dripping 
dew  and  perfume?  Though  picked  for  May  festivals  it 
was  introduced  charily  indoors,  for  to  many  it  was  a  flower 
of  ill  luck — a  result  of  the  association  of  its  purple  color 
with  the  hues  of  mourning.  An  old  proverb  declares  that 
she  who  wears  lilacs  will  never  wear  a  wedding  ring,  and 
to  send  a  spray  of  lilac  to  a  fiance  was  a  delicate  way  of 
asking  that  the  engagement  be  broken.  An  English  noble- 
man having  ruined  a  trusting  girl  and  caused  her  death 
of  a  broken  heart,  a  mound  of  lilac  blooms  was  placed  upon 
her  grave  by  friends,  who  averred  that  in  the  morning  the 
flowers  had  become  white,  though  when  put  upon  the  grave 
they  were  rosy  mauve.  This,  the  first  white  lilac,  is  pointed 
out  to-day  in  the  churchyard  of  a  hamlet  on  the  Wye,  in 
Hartfordshire. 

LINDEN 

To  the  old  Germans,  the  lime,  or  linden,  was  a  holy 
tree,  yet  a  haunt  of  dwarfs  and  fairies;  and  under  it  the 
dragons  lay  so  often,  for  the  shade,  or  for  some  protecting 
property,  that  they  became  known  as  lindenworms.  The 
custom  of  magistrates  of  sitting  beneath  it  to  give  sentence 
also  lent  importance  to  the  lime  and  caused  it  to  be  known 
as  the  tree  of  judgment.    In  the  mythology  of  the  north, 

157 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

when  Sigurd,  after  killing  the  dragon  Fafnir,  bathes  in 
its  blood,  a  linden  leaf  falls  on  his  shoulder  and  makes  it 
vulnerable  to  Hagen's  spear,  since  it  prevents  the  blood 
from  touching  the  skin  at  that  point ;  hence  the  linden  was 
a  tree  of  ill-fortune.  Like  other  trees,  it  is  occasionally 
bound  up  in  the  fortunes  of  a  family  or  tribe,  an  instance 
being  that  of  the  ''wonderful  tree"  of  Susterheistede, 
which  was  to  be  green  so  long  as  the  Ditmarschens  kept 
their  freedom,  but  was  doomed  to  wither  when  they  lost  it, 
as  the  event  proved ;  but  the  people  say  that  the  day  is  com- 
ing when  a  magpie  will  build  in  its  branches  and  rear  five 
young,  and  the  ancient  liberties  will  then  be  restored  to  the 
land. 

A  tradition  of  the  tree  had  fresh  telling  in  America  when 
Prince  Henry  came  to  us  on  his  friendly  errand,  with  Ad- 
miral Baron  von  Seckendorff  as  chief  of  his  suite,  for 
the  history  of  the  Seckendorffs  begins  in  the  year  1017  in 
this  wise :  When  Henry  II.  was  on  the  throne,  the  favorite 
pastime  of  the  court  was  hunting.  In  one  of  his  expedi- 
tions, the  emperor  roused  a  bull,  which  attacked  him 
fiercely.  Henry  had  only  a  sword  for  his  defence,  and  had 
nearly  given  up  hope,  when  the  underbrush  was  shaken, 
and  a  young  man  bounded  into  the  clearing  with  a  lance, 
which  he  cast  into  the  body  of  the  bull.  As  the  animal  sank 
with  a  groan,  the  young  man  respectfully  uncovered,  while 
the  king  mopped  his  brow,  and  gazed  from  the  bull  to  the 
spearman,  as  if  doubting  their  existence.  On  coming  to 
himself,  he  embraced  his  preserver,  crying,  ''So  brave  a 
man  is  destimed  to  father  a  race  of  heroes;"  and  led  him 
to  a  linden,  where  his  retinue  had  now  assembled.  There 
he  related  the  incident,  his  story  being  greeted  with 
applause. 

"What  is  your  name?"  asked  the  king. 

"Walter,"  replied  the  stranger. 

158 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Henry  reached  into  the  tree  and,  breaking  off  a  branch 
with  eight  leaves,  bent  it  into  a  wreath  and  placed  it  on 
the  young  man's  brow.  **I  have  no  chain  of  gold  to  give 
to  you  here,"  he  explained,  **so  take  this  spray  of  linden 
as  a  sign  of  better  favors  from  your  emperor. '  *  Then,  com- 
manding him  to  kneel,  the  monarch  dealt  the  accolade, 
saying,  *'Rise,  sir  knight;  and  because  you  have  risked 
your  blood  for  mine,  be  your  device  a  red  linden  branch 
on  a  white  field.  The  lands  and  castle  of  Seckendorff  are 
yours. '  * 

The  linden  is  one  of  the  elements  in  the  well-known 
tale  of  Philemon  and  Baucis,  the  contented  old  couple  who 
served  Jove  and  Mercury  in  their  humble  cot,  when  those 
gods  descended  in  disguise,  and  who,  in  recompense,  were 
spared  from  destruction  in  the  deluge  that  overwhelmed 
their  neighbors  in  Phrygia.  Their  home  was  transformed 
into  a  temple,  and  there  they  served  as  priest  and  priestess 
to  the  end  of  their  days,  which  were  long  in  the  land.  That 
neither  husband  nor  wife  might  survive  after  the  other 
was  gone  had  been  their  prayer;  so  at  the  appointed  time, 
when  they  came  into  the  morning  light,  they  knew  that 
they  should  never  see  the  sun  again  through  human  eyes, 
for  on  the  head  of  each  was  a  crown  of  leaves,  not  new 
placed,  but  growing.  There  was  time  for  a  last  embrace. 
*'Good-by,  my  love,''  said  Philemon,  and  **Good-by,  my 
dear,"  said  Baucis.  Then,  hand  in  hand,  thej  faced  to 
the  east  and  spoke  no  more.  Slowly  their  human  guise  was 
lost.  Their  forms,  bent  and  withered,  passed  into  the 
shapes  of  trees  with  corrugated  trunks,  but  not  trees  that 
expressed  age.  On  the  contrary,  they  ascended  high  and 
higher,  unfolding  large  and  larger  crowns  of  leaves  to  the 
sky,  and  so  they  stood  for  ages  and  may  stand  yet:  Phile- 
mon an  oak,  Baucis  a  linden.  Something  of  human  spirit 
lingered  in  both  and  the  Scythian  soothsayers  turned  to 

159 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  linden  when  they  were  to  prophesy  and  twined  its 
leaves  about  their  fingers  when  they  sought  inspiration,  as 
if  it  spoke  to  them. 

LOTUS 

The  symbolic  use  of  the  lotus  is  various  and  remarkable. 
It  is  the  representation  of  the  sun  and  moon ;  the  attribute 
of  silence;  the  symbol  of  female  beauty;  the  breath  of 
gods ;  the  source  of  nectar  that  gives  eternal  life ;  the  cradle 
of  Moses ;  the  seat  of  Buddha ;  a  memorial  of  the  ark ;  the 
resting  place  of  great  spirits.  Lakshmi,  the  Hindu  goddess 
of  love,  is  couched  upon  it,  the  fragrance  of  her  body 
filling  the  heavens;  Kamadiva,  the  Hindu  Cupid,  floats 
down  the  Ganges  on  this  flower;  the  Japanese  Mercury, 
Fudo,  glides  through  the  air  on  lotus  sandals ;  the  new-born 
Buddha,  in  setting  foot  on  earth  causes  a  lotus  to  spring 
from  it,  and  in  his  first  seven  steps  northward  a  lotus  marks 
each  footfall.  With  the  Egyptians  it  is  the  flower  of 
Osiris,  the  sun  god;  and  Horus,  or  Harpocrates,  son  of 
Osiris  and  god  of  silence,  sits  like  Buddha,  on  a  lotus,  with 
finger  on  his  lip,  enjoining  peace.  This  peace  of  eternity 
is  expressed  in  the  contemplative  figures  of  Buddha,  which 
the  Japanese  carvers  have  put  into  such  exquisite  form, 
and  which  represent  the  god  as  seated  on  an  opened  flower, 
ready  to  listen  to  the  prayer  of  the  faithful,  that  begins, 
"0  God,  the  jewel  of  the  lotus."  In  the  Greek  legend  this 
*' bride  of  the  Nile"  is  the  body  of  a  lovely  nymph,  who, 
deserted  by  Alcides,  flung  herself  into  the  river  and  was 
drowned ;  but  among  the  mystic  orientals  it  is  an  emblem  of 
the  world,  for  Brahma,  springing  into  life  from  the  navel 
of  Vishnu,  alighted  on  a  lotus,  and  from  that  rostrum  com- 
manded all  worlds  into  being. 

This  flower,  simple,  decorative,  and  attractive  in  its 
form,  appears  in  the  architecture  of  Egypt,  in  the  capitals 

160 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

of  its  temple  columns,  in  paintings  and  wall  ornaments  of 
the  east,  in  the  carpets  of  Turkey  and  Persia.  No  doubt 
it  was  first  regarded  merely  for  its  beauty,  and  painters  and 
sculptors  used  it  as  we  might  use  the  daisy  or  the  maple 
leaf,  without  a  thought  of  symbolism :  but  its  petals,  flaring 
to  the  light,  suggested  sun  rays,  and  so  it  entered  into  the 
aspects  and  appliances  of  sun  worship.  Professor  Good- 
year, in  his  *' Grammar  of  the  Lotus,"  gives  to  it  a  high 
place  in  the  arts  of  thirty  centuries  before  Christ.  He 
evolves  the  Ionic  capital  from  its  twisted  sepals ;  the  Greek 
fret  or  meander  he  also  traces  to  that;  and  the  fret  or 
key  pattern  doubled  is  the  swastika,  earliest  of  symbols 
and  ornaments,  to  be  found  in  pottery  and  on  the  temple 
fronts  of  the  old  world  and  the  new,  where  it  represents 
light  and  dark,  death  and  life,  male  and  female,  good  and 
evil.  The  triangle  of  its  calyx  has  doubtless  served,  like 
the  shamrock,  as  text  for  those  who  expounded  the  Trinity, 
and  the  old  figure  of  the  cornucopia,  showering  plenty  on 
the  world,  may  easily  have  come  from  these  seed  vessels. 
The  seed  were  closed  in  balls  of  clay  and  thrown  into  the 
water,  that  they  might  root  and  create  new  plantations; 
hence  the  saying,  **Cast  thy  bread  on  the  waters  and  thou 
shalt  find  it  after  many  days."  For,  despite  the  sanctity 
of  the  lotus,  the  Egyptians,  Chinese,  and  others  eat  the 
bread  made  from  its  kernels;  but  in  their  case  it  seems  to 
exercise  none  of  the  spell  ascribed  to  it  by  the  poets,  who 
tell  of  lotus-eaters  that  care  for  no  other  food  and  so  remain 
where  it  grows,  forgetting  their  own  countries  and  all 
pertaining  to  them.  The  lotus  was  a  sacred  flower  in 
Egypt  four  thousand  years  ago,  and  was  used  to  decorate 
guests  at  banquets,  the  stem  being  wound  about  the  head 
and  the  bud  hanging  on  the  forehead.  The  Japanese  still 
make  ceremonial  use  of  the  lotus,  which  they  buy  on  holi- 
days for  temple  decoration,  and  they  use  its  leaves  or  pads 
11  161 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

to  wrap  up  food  that  is  offered  to  the  dead.  In  Siam,  where 
the  lotus  is  the  national  flower,  this  heaven  is  suggested  in 
the  great  ponds  of  lotus  in  the  king's  park  near  Bangkok. 

MAGUEY 

Maguey,  or  agave,  is  often  known  as  the  century  plant, 
because  it  blooms  so  seldom  that  most  people  believe  it 
flowers  only  once  in  a  hundred  years.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  it  blooms  once  in  eight  years  in  its  own  country,  but 
in  a  cooler  climate  can  be  persuaded  not  to  bloom  at  all. 
In  Mexico  it  throws  its  leathery  leaves  to  a  height  of  fifteen 
feet,  and  its  stalk,  a  veritable  candelabrum,  bearing  about 
four  thousand  white  blooms,  is  twenty-five  feet  high.  When 
it  has  flowered  it  seems  to  have  fulfilled  its  mission  and  dies 
down,  leaving  the  ground  to  be  occupied  by  sturdier  off- 
spring, often  from  the  old  roots.  Miles  of  country  are 
covered  by  the  maguey,  for  it  has  a  commercial  value  in  that 
it  is  food  for  cattle,  its  cores  are  baked  for  food,  it  fur- 
nishes thatch  for  cabins,  fuel  for  kitchens,  and  fibre  for 
thread  and  paper.  The  spike  at  its  leaf-tip  is  used  as  a 
needle,  its  flower-stalk  is  a  house-pole,  and  it  stores  water 
for  the  thirsty.  These  sweet  juices,  the  agua  miel,  or  honey 
water,  that  would  otherwise  go  to  the  making  of  flowers, 
are  drawn  from  a  hollow  cut  in  its  heart,  fermented,  and 
made  into  pulque,  or  native  beer.  A  plant  will  yield  six 
quarts  a  day  for  four  weeks,  and  is  then  exhausted. 
Pulque  induces  laziness  and  sleep,  but  the  more  fiery 
mescal,  also  made  from  a  variety  of  this  plant,  involves  the 
applicant  in  riot. 

The  maguey  is  associated  with  the  Virgin  of  Totoltepee, 
where  the  Aztecs  had  reared  a  temple  to  their  gods,  but 
which  the  Spaniards  invaded  to  place  the  Virgin  among  the 
ruder  statuary — a  thing  allowed,  for  peace's  sake.    When 

162 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  people,  unable  to  endure  the  arrogance,  the  persecutions, 
and  the  looting  any  further,  arose  and  drove  them  forth, 
the  Spanish  troopers  hid  the  image  beneath  a  maguey,  near 
the  top  of  Totoltepec.  Twenty  years  afterward  a  Christian- 
ized Aztec,  wandering  near  the  hill,  was  dazzled  by  a  light, 
and,  looking  up,  beheld  the  Virgin,  who,  smiling  at  him 
kindly,  said,  *'Dear  son,  my  image  is  hid  near  where  you 
stand.  Find  it  and  enshrine  it. ' '  Cequauhtzin  found  it 
under  the  maguey,  and  took  it  home  for  safe-keeping. 
In  the  morning  it  was  gone,  but  an  ''inward  voice"  told  him 
it  had  gone  back  to  the  hill,  and  sure  enough  he  found  it 
once  more,  under  the  maguey.  Again  he  took  it  to  his 
house  and  put  it  into  his  stoutest  chest,  making  his  bed  on 
the  lid;  yet  in  the  morning  the  figure  was  gone  again,  and 
he  found  it  a  third  time  under  the  maguey.  To  the 
Fathers  he  went  and  told  all  that  had  happened,  and  they 
saw  that  the  Virgin's  wish  was  that  a  shrine  should  be 
built  over  the  plant  in  whose  shade  she  had  rested  for  so 
many  years ;  accordingly,  the  splendid  church  of  Our  Lady 
of  the  Remedies  was  erected  on  the  hill-top,  the  Aztec  tem- 
ple being  destroyed  to  make  room  for  it.  This  church 
is  now  a  resort  of  thousands  seeking  health  and  pardon. 
The  slab  in  the  altar  records  that  ''This  is  the  very  spot 
where  the  Holiest  of  Virgins  was  found  under  a  maguey 
by  the  chief,  Don  Juan  Aguila"  (the  Indian's  Christian 
name),  "in  the  year  1540,  where  she  told  him,  on  appear- 
ing before  him,  that  he  should  seek  her. ' ' 

A  curious  mark  of  patriotism  was  shown  by  the  Mexi- 
can congress  in  1830,  when  it  ordered  that  no  legal  docu- 
ment should  be  written  on  any  other  material  than  the 
paper  of  the  national  plant,  the  maguey.  One  writer  offers 
a  theory  that  Mexico  means  no  more  than  the  land  of  the 
maguey,  the  word  mex-tli  signifying  a  maguey,  personified. 

163 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

MAIZE 

It  was  a  common  belief  among  the  American  Indians 
that  corn  was  of  divine  origin ;  that  it  was  the  food  of  the 
gods  that  created  the  earth,  and  when  they  flew  back  to 
heaven,  pained  by  the  ingratitude  of  men,  seeds  of  maize 
fell  from  their  hands,  and,  rooting  on  the  earth,  sprang  up 
to  be  the  food  of  millions.  Our  farmers  kill  the  crow,  but 
some  of  the  Indian  tribes  protect  it,  for  this  bird  was  the 
seed-bearer  who  brought  the  corn  from  heaven.  But  two 
legends  of  the  Iroquois  tell  another  story.  One  is,  that  a 
chief,  having  climbed  a  mountain  where  he  might  be  alone 
with  the  Great  Spirit,  begged  the  deity  to  give  more  food 
to  his  people,  for  they  wearied  of  meat  and  berries,  and 
longed  for  the  food  of  the  gods.  The  Great  Spirit  bade 
him  go  to  the  plains  with  his  wife  and  children  in  the 
moon  of  rains,  and  wait  for  three  suns.  This  the  man  did, 
and  while  waiting  he  and  his  family  slept.  Others  came 
to  seek  them,  and  behold,  the  old  man  and  his  wives  and 
children  had  changed  to  corn.  The  prayer  had  been 
answered. 

The  other  tale  is  of  a  man  who  for  love  of  a  beautiful 
girl  would  sleep  in  the  wood  near  her  wigwam,  fearing  lest 
some  accident  might  happen,  or  a  daring  hostile  creep  into 
the  camp  and  steal  her.  On  a  summer  night  he  was 
awakened  by  soft  foot-falls  leaving  her  lodge,  and,  spring- 
ing up,  he  saw  her  walking  in  her  sleep.  He  followed,  but 
the  faster  he  pursued,  the  faster  she  ran,  till  at  last,  in  a 
field,  he  overtook  her  and  clasped  her  in  a  strong  embrace. 
It  was  Apollo  and  Daphne  again,  for,  to  his  astonishment, 
he  grasped,  not  a  girl,  but  a  plant  such  as  he  had  never 
seen  before,  a  tall  and  graceful  stalk,  with  leaves  as  long 
as  grass.  The  fright  or^  waking  far  from  home,  and  in 
the  grasp  of  a  man,  had  caused  the  girl  to  pray  that  she 

164 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

might  be  so  changed,  and  her  hair  became  the  silk  and 
her  lifted  hands  the  ears  that  are  now  eaten.  It  was  a  com- 
mon belief  among  our  eastern  Indians  that  human  beings 
could  change  their  shapes  in  time  of  need,  unless  they  were 
under  the  spell  of  an  evil  spirit. 

Corn  dances,  celebrating  the  bounty  of  nature,  are  prac- 
tised among  many  tribes,  and  among  the  Hopis  of  the 
southwest  there  is  perpetuated  a  drama  which  symbolizes 
the  growth  of  corn  and  the  beneficent  and  malefic  powers 
that  affect  it,  figured  in  the  appearance  and  conduct  of 
strange  creatures,  represented  in  part  by  the  Indians  them- 
selves and  in  part  by  rude  figures  operated  from  behind  a 
screen.  The  front  of  the  stage  represents  a  field  of  growing 
corn,  with  actual  blades  in  mounds  of  earth,  and  this  field 
is  swept  by  the  demons  of  storm  and  drouth,  while  shamans 
perform  saving  incantations,  and  heroes  end  the  play  by 
overwhelming  the  demons. 

In  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  Indian  corn  legends,  the 
First  Mother  was  born  of  a  beautiful  plant.  Seeing  her 
children  suffer  during  a  famine,  she  begged  her  husband, 
the  First  Father,  to  kill  her  and  scatter  her  body  over  the 
fields,  so  that  the  distress  of  hunger  would  be  ended.  The 
First  Father  appealed  to  the  Great  Spirit,  who  bade  him  do 
as  his  wife  desired.  So  he  scattered  the  fragments  far  and 
near,  and  after  a  time  green  blades  came  up,  ripened, 
and  were  corn.  So  it  is  that  the  wise  say,  *'A  man  is  a 
grain  of  corn.  Bury  him  and  he  rots.  Yet  his  spirit  lives 
and  leaps  from  the  earth  again,  to  make  him  as  he  was. ' ' 

The  Chippewas  tell  how  the  demigod  Wunaumon,  son 
of  Hiawatha,  lived  alone,  a  mighty  hunter,  from  whom 
the  beasts  flew  or  slunk  away  when  they  saw  his  shadow 
on  the  earth.  He  roamed  freely  through  the  forests  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  in  one  of  his  long  tramps  reached 
the  prairies,  which  were  like  an  endless  lake  of  land  save 

165 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

that  far  away  he  saw  a  strip  of  wood.  *'I  will  know 
what  is  there/'  he  said,  and  with  great  strides  gained  the 
other  side  of  the  country.  As  he  stood  under  the  trees  a 
stranger  came  to  meet  him — a  stranger  with  a  shiny  coat 
which  was  hard,  like  husks,  and  a  flowing,  ruddy  feather 
in  his  scalp-lock.  He  was  short  and  stubby,  not  likely,  one 
would  say,  to  offer  battle  to  the  big  Wunaumon ;  indeed,  he 
seemed  to  have  no  such  intent,  for  after  a  short  talk  he 
produced  a  pipe  and  exchanged  a  whiff  or  two  with  the 
hunter.  But  the  spirit  of  fight  was  in  Wunaumon,  who, 
looking  down  at  the  stranger,  remarked,  '  *  I  am  very  strong. 
Are  you?" 

''I  have  the  strength  of  a  man,"  said  the  little  fellow 
candidly. 

*'I  am  Wunaumon.     What  is  your  name?" 

*  *  I  will  not  tell  unless  you  beat  me  in  wrestling.  Throw 
me,  and  you  shall  find  out.  And  it  will  be  worth  while  to 
try,  for  you  shall  win  more  than  the  knowing  of  my 
name. ' ' 

''Come,  then,  Red  Feather!"  cried  the  hunter,  strip- 
ping off  his  ornaments. 

"I  am  not  Red  Feather.  Try  me,  and  perhaps  you 
shall  know.  If  you  conquer,  it  will  be  for  the  good  of  all 
your  people." 

They  struggled,  feinted,  broke  away  for  breath,  and 
went  at  it  again,  without  the  slightest  advantage  of  one 
over  the  other,  for  hours.  Wunaumon  looked  at  his  little 
adversary  with  astonishment.  At  last,  as  the  sun  began 
to  sink,  he  braced  himself  for  a  mighty  effort.  He  planted 
his  feet  far  apart  and  threw  his  arms  about  the  other 
wrestler  with  a  hug  like  a  bear's.  Something  seemed  to 
burst,  and  the  man  collapsed. 

*'Ha,  Red  Feather,  I  have  beaten  you!"  cried  Wunau- 
mon.    **Now  tell  me  your  name." 

166 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

* '  I  am  Mondahmin.  I  give  my  body  to  your  people. 
Where  I  have  fallen  cover  me  with  fine  earth;  then  come 
back  to  me  often.  You  shall  see  me  again,  and  I  will 
bring  gifts  out  of  this  land  for  you. ' ' 

Wunaumon  laid  the  body  in  the  earth,  covered  it  with 
dust,  and  in  a  month  he  came  back  to  see  two  green 
feathers  waving  on  the  grave.  The  wind  passed,  and  a 
voice  like  singing  came  from  the  plumes,  saying,  ''This 
is  corn,  the  gift  of  Mondahmin.  Watch  it,  take  the  seed  to 
your  people,  and  tell  them  to  make  a  feast  to  Mondahmin 
in  the  Moon  of  Fruits." 

This  did  the  hunter  god,  and  the  seed  sprang  up  in 
strong,  tall  stems,  bearing  store  of  delicious  grains  that 
people  planted,  so  that  in  times  of  famine  it  might  save 
the  lives  of  many.  For  this  was  that  Mondahmin,  who, 
after  the  Great  Spirit  had  destroyed  all  men  but  one,  by 
dropping  the  world  into  the  great  lake,  came  from  the 
unknown  and  won  the  new-created  sister  of  the  survivor. 
He  was  the  fifth  of  the  spirit  suitors  for  White  Earth,  and 
her  brother  had  told  her  to  keep  silence  till  the  fifth  had 
come.  The  first  was  Usama.  When  White  Earth  refused 
him,  his  blanket  fell  from  his  shoulders  and  he  became 
tobacco.  The  second  was  Wapako,  and  when  she  turned 
from  him,  this  round  and  pudgy  man  rolled  down  the 
hill,  a  pumpkin.  Next  came  Eshkossim,  the  melon;  and 
Kokees,  the  bean ;  and  they  too  fell  as  if  dead  when  White 
Earth  refused  them.  But  at  the  call  of  the  fifth  voice, 
which  was  like  a  musical  rustling  in  the  trees.  White 
Earth  looked  the  new-comer  in  the  face  and  took  him  for 
her  husband.  After  the  wedding  feast  great  rains  fell, 
and  from  where  the  other  suitors  had  disappeared  sprang 
up  the  leaves  of  tobacco,  pumpkin,  melon,  and  bean,  but 
tallest  and  most  prized  were  the  stems  of  com,  the  plant 
of  Mondahmin. 

167 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

MALLOW 

Our  common  little  mallow,  whose  seed-pods — ^the 
** cheeses"  of  children — are  eaten  seriously  in  the  east,  ap- 
pealed to  Mahomet  so  greatly,  through  his  joy  in  a  rope 
woven  of  its  fibre,  that  he  glorified  a  plant  of  it  into  the 
pelargonium — an  achievement  worthy  of  Burbank.  Taken 
in  the  morning,  the  mallow  protects  one  from  disease  for 
that  day.  Marsh  mallow,  however,  was  held  to  be  ^Hwice 
as  good ' '  a  medicine,  and  nobody  is  much  hurt  by  eating  the 
confections  sold  as  *'marshmallows,"  even  in  these  days  of 
adulterations.  As  ointment,  the  mallow  cured  those  affected 
by  witchcraft,  and  it  had  the  more  wonderful  effect  of  pro- 
tecting from  hot  metal. 

MANDRAKE 

Because  of  its  supposed  power  as  an  aphrodisiac,  the 
fruit  of  the  mandrake  was  apples  of  love  to  the  Greeks, 
but  devil 's  apples  to  the  Arabs.  More  than  twenty  solemn 
books  have  been  written  on  the  medicinal,  spiritual,  and 
diabolical  nature  of  this  plant,  with  its  forked,  flesh- 
colored  roots  that  were  carved  into  figures  of  men  and  car- 
ried as  charms.  It  was  a  most  dangerous  plant  to  dig, 
hence  it  had  to  be  pulled  from  the  ground  by  a  dog,  that 
died  of  fright  on  hearing  it  scream — ^the  shriek  ''like  man- 
drakes torn  from  the  earth" — for  the  sound  was  death  or 
madness  to  any  that  heard.  The  dog's  owner  tied  the  tail 
of  his  faithful  animal  to  the  stem,  first  making  the  sign 
of  the  cross  thrice  over  the  plant,  retreated  to  a  safe  dis- 
tance, whistled  to  the  dog,  closing  his  own  ears  tightly,  and 
up  came  the  angry  vegetable.  In  time  men  acquired  a  bet- 
ter control  over  the  plant,  or  themselves,  for  it  sufficed 
to  pry  it  out  with  a  sword,  if  the  digger  would  keep  to 

168 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

windward  of  it  and  direct  his  face  to  the  west.  If  he  failed 
to  dislodge  it,  the  earth  opened  and  he  disappeared  forever 
in  the  grasp  of  a  fiend.  Having  taken  the  root,  the 
owner  is  to  keep  it  in  a  white  cloth,  in  a  box,  bathe  it 
every  Friday,  and  save  the  water  in  which  it  is  washed, 
as  it  has  medicinal  properties.  This  ''earth  manikin*' 
brings  luck  to  the  house,  and,  carried  under  the  coat, 
protects  one  against  reverses  in  courts  of  law.  Possibly  for 
this  reason  it  was  a  more  than  suspicious  circumstance 
to  have  a  mandrake  about  one's  premises.  It  branded  the 
owner  as  a  wizard,  and  in  1630  three  women  were  put  to 
death  in  Hamburg  on  no  other  charge  than  that  of  having 
mandrake  roots  in  their  homes.  The  devil  had  a  special 
watch  upon  these  objects,  and  unless  one  succeeded  in  selling 
one  for  less  than  he  gave  for  it,  it  would  stay  about  him 
till  his  death.  Throw  it  into  the  fire,  into  the  river,  smash 
it,  fling  it  from  a  cliff,  lose  it  in  the  woods,  so  soon  as  you 
reached  home  there  would  be  the  mandrake,  creeping  over 
the  floor,  smirking,  human-fashion,  from  a  shelf,  or  en- 
sconced in  your  bed. 

After  dread  of  the  mandrake  had  worn  away  to  some 
extent,  it  was  still  observed  with  respect,  was  handed  down 
from  father  to  son,  and  in  one  case  was  kept  in  a  coffin  and 
infolded  in  a  picture  representing  a  thief  on  the  gallows, 
with  a  mandrake  growing  at  his  feet.  Sometimes  the  root 
bore  a  startling  likeness  to  a  human  head,  one  such  speci- 
men being  shown  in  the  College  of  Surgeons,  in  London: 
a  double  bulb,  each  showing  every  feature  of  a  human  coun- 
tenance, including  a  beard.  German  miners  said  that  the 
root  went  far  into  the  ground,  and  that  it  was  the  kobolds 
who  cried  when  they  saw  it  disappearing  upward. 

The  merits  of  mandrake  became  practical,  as  years  went 
by,  and  referred  less  to  fortunes  than  to  health,  since  it 
tended  to  cure  barrenness,  nightmare,  cramp,  and  tooth- 

169 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

ache,  and  protected  the  owner  against  robbers  and  bad 
weather.  A  common  association  of  the  plant  with  a  buried 
corpse  is  thought  to  arise  from  the  burial  of  Medusa's 
head  under  the  Agora  at  Athens :  whence  its  name  of  man- 
dragora,  and  it  may  be  because  of  the  stupefying  and  fatal 
effect  of  Medusa's  gaze,  while  she  lived,  that  this  output 
from  her  tomb  should  be  regarded  as  an  opiate  and  poison. 
Shakespeare  speaks  of  **  poppy,  mandragora,  and  all  the 
drowsy  spirits  of  the  east."  In  Iceland,  where  it  is 
thieves'  root,  because  it  grows  from  the  mouth  of  a  rascal 
who  has  been  hanged,  it  will  draw  to  itself  the  money  from 
unguarded  pockets  if  the  owner  puts  beneath  the  man- 
drake a  coin  which  he  has  just  stolen  from  a  poor  widow 
at  a  high  festival  of  the  church,  between  the  chanting  of 
the  Epistle  and  the  Gospel. 

MANGO 

Travellers  in  the  tropics  endure  mingled  emotions  in 
their  experience  with  the  mango,  the  exceeding  juiciness 
whereof  suggests  that  it  be  eaten  in  overalls,  and  which, 
when  all  is  said,  tastes  to  most  of  us  like  a  door-mat  soaked 
in  turpentine.  But  the  mango  is  prized  by  the  blacks  and 
the  browns  who  live  in  the  shade  of  it,  and  in  a  Canarese 
legend  it  is  the  tree  of  life  itself.  In  that  story  a  king 
had  a  magpie  that  flew  up  to  heaven,  and  returned  bringing 
mango  seed,  which  it  gave  to  the  king,  saying,  *  *  Plant  this, 
and  when  it  has  grown,  eat  of  its  fruit;  for  it  will  give 
everlasting  life  to  all  who  taste  it."  The  king  put  it  into 
the  ground  forthwith,  and  in  due  season  the  tree  had  grown 
large,  fair,  with  glossy  leaves  and  glowing,  ruddy  fruit. 
It  chanced,  however,  that  the  first  mango  he  chose  had 
been  poisoned,  for  a  snake  in  the  grasp  of  an  eagle  flying 
overhead  had  dropped  some  venom  on  it.    In  some  doubt 

170 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

as  to  its  wholesomeness,  the  king  ordered  an  old  man  in 
his  court  to  eat  the  mango,  and,  the  poison  working  in  his 
vitals,  he  fell  in  torment  and  died.  The  king,  astonished 
and  angered,  took  the  unfortunate  magpie  by  the  neck  and 
beat  its  life  out,  and  for  a  long  time  after  nobody  dared 
touch  the  tree.  It  was  called,  in  fact,  * '  the  poison  mango, ' ' 
and  might  have  been  cut  down  and  burned  had  it  not  been 
for  an  old  woman  who  had  been  flouted  and  whipped  by  her 
son  and  his  wife,  and  had  resolved  to  commit  suicide 
by  eating  a  mango,  that  her  death  might  be  charged  upon 
the  undutiful  pair.  She  ate  the  fruit  and  instantly  was 
as  a  maid  in  her  teens.  Others,  hearing  of  the  wonder,  ate 
also  of  the  fruit,  became  young,  and  rejoiced.  But  the 
king  did  not  eat.  He  thought  on  his  wickedness  in  killing 
the  affectionate  bird  that  had  brought  to  him  the  tree  of 
eternal  youth,  and  in  remorse  he  slew  himself. 

In  a  Hindu  parable  a  mango  tree  is  denoted,  filled  with 
fruit.  A  black  man  chops  at  it  with  his  axe;  a  blue  man 
tears  off  a  branch;  a  red  man  pulls  off  fruit;  a  yellow 
man  perches  on  a  bough,  eating  ripe  mangos ;  and  a  white 
man  pauses  on  his  way  to  pick  up  a  fruit  that  has  fallen 
to  the  ground.  This  is  an  allegory  of  life,  and  the  use  we 
make  of  it.  The  black  one,  with  his  axe,  seeking  only 
destruction,  is  the  conqueror,  or  criminal;  the  blue  man  is 
the  careless  egotist  who  spoils,  but  in  smaller  measure ;  the 
red  man  will  not  injure  the  tree,  but  he  is  still  greedy 
enough  to  require  the  best;  the  yellow  man  is  temperate 
and  wise,  taking  only  what  he  needs  and  leaving  enough  for 
others ;  but  the  white  man  shows  humility  and  accepts  what 
the  rest  neglect,  living  content  with  the  smallest  share, 
pausing  in  his  walk  and  service  only  long  enough  to  take  a 
single  fruit,  for  the  hungry  will  afterward  pass  that  way. 
Yet  the  fruit  he  eats  is  sweetest. 

171 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

MAPLE 

Various  legends  concerning  Manabozho — or  Hiawatha, 
or  Hoyawentha,  or  Glooskap — relate  to  trees  and  plants. 
For  example,  it  is  said  that  he  flogged  the  birch,  so  often 
used  in  the  flogging  of  others,  and  left  the  rings  about  its 
bark;  that  he  gave  thorns  to  the  roses,  out  of  his  love  for 
them,  that  the  animals  might  not  eat  them;  that  he  stole 
the  first  tobacco  from  a  giant,  and  that  the  smoke  of  it,  as 
he  blows  it  abroad  in  the  fall,  makes  the  haze  of  Indian 
summer.  The  blood  from  sundry  cuts  in  his  flesh  flowed 
to  stain  the  red  willow,  which  has  never  since  lost  its  color ; 
blisters  from  his  burned  back  have  become  lichens  on  the 
rocks.  As  a  crowning  gift  to  his  people,  he  created  maple 
sugar,  though  this  latter  tradition  is  disputed  by  some 
eastern  tribes,  who  assert  that  the  sugar  was  discovered  by 
a  squaw  who,  having  to  cook  moose-meat  in  early  spring, 
and  being  at  a  distance  from  water,  tapped  a  maple-tree 
and  drew  enough  of  the  sap  to  fill  her  kettle.  Having  run 
away  from  her  domestic  duties  to  gossip  with  the  neighbors, 
she  was  horrified,  on  her  return,  to  discover  that  the  liquid 
had  boiled  to  nothing,  and  that  the  meat  was  immersed 
in  a  sticky  mass  of  unpleasant  aspect  but  inviting  odor. 
To  offer  such  a  joint  to  her  husband,  whose  step  was  even 
then  heard  in  the  wood,  was  to  endure  a  beating,  so  she  fled. 
What  was  her  astonishment,  on  creeping  to  the  camp,  a 
little  later,  to  discover  her  lord  luxuriously  seated  at  the 
fire,  licking  his  fingers,  which  were  coated  with  the  brown 
substance,  and  quite  neglecting  the  burned  and  hardened 
meat.  She  made  bold  to  approach  and  was  about  to  apolo- 
gize for  her  neglect  when  the  brave  arose  and,  throw- 
ing his  hands  about  her  neck,  addressed  her  in  terms  of 
thankfulness  and  endearment;  for  she  had  discovered 
what  was  worth  much  moose-meat,  and  should  continue  to 

172 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

be  his  bride  forever.  In  tbat  episode  was  discovered  a 
solace  and  a  source  of  revenue  that  has  advantaged  good 
New  Englanders  and  Canadians  to  this  day,  and  may  have 
had  its  influence  upon  the  latter  in  their  choice  of  the  maple- 
leaf  as  the  provincial  insignia.  When  frosts  touch  the 
earth,  and  the  year  fades  to  its  sunset,  it  is  the  maple,  more 
than  all  other  trees,  that  glorifies  the  landscape  and  turns 
the  hills  to  heaps  of  ruby  and  topaz. 

Anciently,  the  maple  was  an  emblem  of  reserve,  because 
of  the  quietness  of  its  flowers.  Its  root  cures  lameness  of 
the  liver,  says  Pliny.  Cicero  had  a  table  of  maple- wood 
that  cost  ten  thousand  sesterces,  and  another  was  sold  to  an 
opulent  Roman  for  its  weight  in  gold.  Maple,  too,  was  a 
common  material  for  cups,  in  the  scarcity  of  gold  and  glass, 
and  the  fair  Rosamund  drank  her  fatal  draught  from  such 
an  one. 

The  Hungarians  tell  how  a  king 's  blonde  daughter  falls 
in  love  with  a  shepherd,  who  has  charmed  her  with  a  maple 
flute — still  blown  in  Cornwall  on  May  day  to  bring  in  the 
spring  with  music.  This  daughter  went  into  the  fields 
with  her  two  sisters  to  gather  the  first  strawberries  of  the 
season,  their  wretched  old  parent  thinking  so  much  more  of 
his  victuals  than  of  his  kingdom  or  his  kindred  that  he 
promised  his  crown  to  the  first  who  should  return  to  him 
with  a  basket  of  the  fruit.  The  blonde 's  basket  being  first 
filled,  her  prospects  maddened  the  brunettes  with  jealousy ; 
hence,  they  killed  her,  buried  her  under  a  maple,  and 
divided  her  berries  between  them,  returning  with  a  probable 
story  that  a  deer  had  eaten  her.  Vain  were  the  lamenta- 
tions of  the  king ;  vain,  too,  the  pipings  of  the  shepherd  on 
the  hill,  for,  blow  as  he  might,  the  maple-wood  made  no 
answer,  nor  would  his  lady  appear.  On  the  third  day  the 
sheep-herder,  passing  the  maple  where  the  princess  had 
been  buried,  noticed  a  fair  new  shoot  that  had  sprung  from 

173 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  tree.  He  cut  off  the  branch  and  fashioned  a  new  and 
better  (flute),  which  began  to  sing  when  he  put  it  at  his 
lips,  not  in  wordless  notes,  but  in  downright  speech :  '  *  Play, 
dearest!  Once  I  was  a  king's  daughter;  then  a  maple 
shoot;  now  I  am  a  flute."  Astonished  at  this  disclosure, 
he  rushed  to  the  palace,  demanding  audience  of  the  king, 
who  was  amazed,  as  well  he  might  be,  when,  on  putting  the 
wood  to  his  own  mouth,  he  heard  it  say,  '  *  Play,  my  father ! 
Once  I  was  a  king's  daughter;  then  a  maple  shoot;  now 
I  am  a  flute."  Wishing  to  test  his  senses,  he  called  the 
wicked  daughters  and  commanded  that  they  blow  into  the 
instrument,  but  as  each  did  so  it  cried,  ''Play,  murderer! 
Once  I  was  a  king's  daughter;  then  a  maple  shoot;  now  I 
am  a  flute."  Realizing  what  a  crime  had  been  committed, 
the  king  drove  them  from  his  home,  while  the  shepherd 
went  back  to  his  sheep  and  solaced  his  loneliness  with  the 
voice  of  his  beloved. 

MARIGOLD 

Like  other  yellow  flowers,  the  marigold  was  an  expres- 
sion of  light — "the  bride  of  the  sun,"  ''the  golden  flower" 
— yet,  strangely  enough,  it  has  been  chosen  to  express 
jealousy  and  fawning.  In  one  legend  it  is  a  girl  who, 
consumed  with  envy  of  a  successful  rival  in  the  affections 
of  a  young  man,  lost  her  wits  and  died.  But  while  in  one 
floral  dictionary  it  stands  for  envy,  it  more  clearly  means 
constancy,  because  of  its  bright  face,  its  devotion  to  the 
sun,  its  cheer.  Odd  are  the  names  the  members  of  this 
family  have  borne :  death  flower,  cowbloom,  gouls,  goulans, 
goolds,  king  cups,  butterwort,  bull  flower,  pool  flower,  care, 
horse  blob,  water  dragon,  drunkard,  publican-and-sinner, 
yolg  of  eggy  Mary  bud,  gold  flower,  shining  herb,  and  left- 
hand-iron,  the  latter  name  coming  from  Provence,  where 
it  was  suggested  by  the  likeness  of  the  open  blossoms  to  a 

174 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

shield.  The  Greek  name,  kalathos,  or  cup,  from  which 
its  botanic  name  of  caltha  is  derived,  may  indicate  that 
the  Greeks  had  their  own  story  of  its  origin,  and  in  Ger- 
many a  tale  survives  that  strongly  recalls  the  Greek:  A 
maid,  Caltha,  fell  in  love  with  the  sun  god — so  deep  in  love 
that  she  lived  only  to  see  him.  She  would  remain  in  the 
fields  all  night,  that  she  might  meet  the  first  glance  of  his 
flashing  eye.  So  consuming  was  her  love  that  she  wasted 
till  she  had  become  entirely  a  thing  of  spirit,  rising  from 
the  earth  and  losing  herself  in  the  rays  that  shone  about 
the  being  of  her  adoration.  And  where  she  had  long  stood 
the  first  marigold  appeared,  its  form  and  color  recalling 
the  sun,  and  on  its  petals  a  drop  that  might  have  been  dew 
or  a  tear  of  happiness  at  the  maid 's  translation. 

Quite  other  is  the  marigold  of  Mexico,  for  its  petals  are 
red — the  blood  of  Aztecs  put  to  death  by  Spaniards  in  their 
eagerness  for  land  and  gold.  It  was  alleged  that  the  Virgin 
wore  the  plant  on  her  bosom;  hence  the  name  of  Mary- 
gold  ;  but  a  likelier  origin  is  marais  (marsh)  or  meer  (pond, 
or  lake,)  since  the  marsh  marigold,  so  called,  elects  damp 
places  to  enliven  with  its  color. 

MARJORAM 

Marjoram  is  one  of  those  rare  plants  that  yield  no 
poisonous  quality.  It  not  only  gives  spice  and  savor  to 
viands,  but  was  believed  to  have  antiseptic  value,  and  was 
therefore  used  in  chambers  of  the  sick  and  for  strewing 
over  church  floors  at  funerals.  The  German  name  of  the 
plant,  ''happy-minded,"  and  its  older  name  of  joy-of-the- 
mountain,  indicate  a  festal  rather  than  funereal  signifi- 
cance. In  Greece  and  Rome  it  was  one  of  the  hymeneal 
flowers,  because  Venus  created  it,  and  it  is  the  touch  of 
her  fingers  that  lingers  as  a  perfume.     In  Cyprus  they 

175 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

ascribe  its  origin  to  Amarakos,  a  page  in  the  household 
of  the  king,  who,  passing  through  the  palace  with  a  jar  of 
perfume  in  his  arms,  slipped  on  the  marble  floor,  and 
dropped  the  vase,  which  was  shattered  into  a  thousand 
pieces.  The  king  arose  to  chide  him,  which  so  terrified 
Amarakos  that  the  life  instantly  went  out  of  him,  and  he 
lay  white  and  still  in  the  bath  of  floral  essence.  From 
his  burial-place  arose  the  plant  we  call  marjoram,  cor- 
rupting it  from  his  name — when  we  do  not  ruthlessly  dub 
it  origanum  vulgare. 

From  Cyprus  the  marjoram  found  its  way  to  the  main- 
land, and  as  dittany  it  blooms  as  far  away  as  England  and 
Germany.  In  those  countries  it  was  formerly  prized  as  a 
charm  against  witchcraft,  for  no  person  who  had  sold 
herself  to  the  devil  could  abide  it. 

MELON 

For  some  reason  this  fruit  stirred  the  ire  of  Elias,  pos- 
sibly because  he  had  eaten  thereof  and  they  disagreed  with 
him,  and  on  Mount  Carmel,  when  you  climb  to  the  top,  you 
shall  see  a  field  of  stones  which  were  melons  once,  but  which 
he  cursed  so  bitterly  that  they  became  more  indigestible 
than  ever  and  hardened  into  their  present  shape. 

A  king  of  Tuscany  was  once  father  to  triplets,  whom  he 
never  took  the  trouble  to  look  at,  because  his  sisters,  jeal- 
ous of  his  queen,  told  him  they  were  not  human,  but  were 
a  cat,  a  snake,  and  a  stick.  The  king  believed  them,  cast 
his  wife  into  prison  as  a  witch,  and  ordered  the  progeny 
to  be  thrown  into  the  sea.  The  gardener,  to  whom  the 
last  task  was  allotted,  took  the  poor  little  people  to  his 
home,  reared  them  as  if  they  were  children  of  his  own, 
and  taught  them  to  raise  flowers  and  fruits.  One  of  the 
first  fruits  that  came  from  their  garden  was  a  watermelon, 

176 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

so  big  and  tempting  that  it  was  deemed  fit  for  the  king, 
so  to  his  table  it  went.  When  he  cut  it,  behold,  its  seeds 
were  precious  stones.  * '  Oh,  wonder ! ' '  roared  the  monarch. 
* '  Can  a  melon  produce  stones  ? ' ' 

*'As  easily  as  a  woman  may  give  birth  to  a  cat,  a  stick, 
and  a  snake,"  declared  a  maid  of  honor. 

**What  do  you  mean?"  blustered  the  ruler. 

Then  they  labored  with  his  primordial  intellect  till  at 
last  he  understood;  whereupon  he  released  his  wife,  took 
his  children  home,  and,  instead  of  drowning  his  sisters, 
ended  the  scandal  by  making  a  public  show  of  them  at  the 
stake — and  incidentally  exposing  his  preceding  imbecility. 

MIGNONETTE 

To  work  in  the  garden  of  a  summer  morning,  when 
the  breeze,  blowing  over  the  mignonette,  brings  the  delicate 
rapture  of  its  odor  and  the  hum  of  bees  who  are  plundering 
its  sweets,  is  to  know  a  moment  of  old  paradise.  To  be  sure, 
the  charm  of  the  flower  is  in  its  perfume ;  it  has  no  splendor 
for  the  eye;  but  its  constancy  and  generosity  of  bloom  en- 
dear it  to  every  one  whose  patch  of  ground  is  big  enough  for 
heaven  to  brood  upon.  The  mignonette,  or  sweet  resada — 
meaning,  to  soothe — is  one  of  the  blessings  we  owe  to  the 
Orient,  where  it  expresses  health.  Nor  is  it  difficult  to 
imagine,  if,  indeed,  it  is  imagination  that  affects  us  in  this 
case,  that  lesser  aches  and  ills  are  charmed  away  by  in- 
halation of  its  fragrance.  There  are  subtleties  of  cure,  of 
stimulation  and  narcosis,  in  odors  that  our  nose-blind  race 
has  forgotten.  Because  of  its  modesty,  mignonette  can 
be  blent  with  almost  any  combination  of  blossoms,  and  be- 
cause of  the  readiness  of  its  growth,  it  is  a  favorite 
wherever  it  is  known. 

12  177 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 


MIMOSA 

Most  curious  among  forms  of  vegetation  is  the  sensitive 
plant,  that  folds  its  leaves  together  and  hangs  as  if  wilted 
when  it  has  been  pinched  or  struck.  It  seems  as  if  it  were 
moved  by  an  instinct  to  **play  'possum,"  as  animals  will 
do  to  prevent  their  falling  prey  to  carnivorge  that  will  not 
touch  a  dead  body.  The  sensitive  plant  has  sturdier  rela- 
tives, however,  to  whom  a  pinch  is  no  great  matter.  One 
of  these  is  the  Egyptian  mimosa,  which  supplies  the  gum 
known  as  frankincense. 

In  a  Greek  legend,  the  sensitive  plant  was  the  maid 
Cephisa,  who  inspired  Pan  with  so  violent  a  passion  that  she 
fled  from  him  in  terror.  He,  pursuing,  caught  her  in  his 
arms  just  as  her  appeal  to  the  other  gods  for  protection  was 
answered  in  her  transformation  to  the  mimosa.  In  an 
old  belief,  the  delicacy  of  the  plant  was  so  extreme  that  if 
a  maid  passed  by  after  a  sin,  it  would  fold  its  leaves  as  if  it 
had  been  touched. 

MINT 

Pluto  was  not  a  deity  to  inspire  love,  even  in  the  heart 
of  his  wife,  when,  after  long  waiting,  he  was  able  to  steal 
one.  Men  figured  him  as  a  dark  and  angry  god,  wto  flour- 
ished a  staff  as  he  drove  unruly  spirits  to  their  last  abodes 
of  gloom.  Pluto  spent  most  of  his  time  in  the  underworld, 
yet  he  did  visit  the  light  occasionally,  and  on  one  of  his 
emergings  he  saw  and  loved  the  nymph  Mintho.  Now,  his 
wife,  Proserpine,  watched  him  more  closely  than  he  knew; 
not  that  she  was  fond  of  him,  but,  being  a  woman,  she  could 
not  endure  to  divide  the  affections  of  her  lord.  Hence  at 
the  first  opportunity  she  revenged  the  slight  he  had  put 
upon  her  by  turning  her  rival  into  an  herb,  in  which  guise 
she  lost  some  outward  beauty,  yet  still  attracted  men  by 
her  freshness  and  fragrance. 

178 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Of  the  several  varieties  of  mint,  the  catmint,  or  catnip, 
commends  itself  especially  to  the  feline  race.  In  an  old 
belief  this  herb  will  not  only  make  cats  frolicsome,  amorous, 
and  full  of  battle,  but  its  root,  if  chewed,  '  *  makes  the  most 
gentle  person  fierce  and  quarrelsome." 

The  mint  called  pennyroyal,  which  has  value  in  the  rural 
materia  medica  because  it  purifies  the  blood,  disperses  fleas, 
and,  smeared  on  the  face  with  vaseline  and  tar,  keeps  off 
gnats  and  flies,  was  used  by  witches  in  a  malignant  medicine 
which  caused  those  who  swallowed  it  to  see  double. 

MISTLETOE 

Our  custom  of  decorating  the  home  with  mistletoe  goes 
back  for  centuries,  to  the  ceremonials  of  the  Druids,  and  is 
a  reminder  of  their  winter  custom  of  keeping  green  things 
indoors  as  a  refuge  for  the  spirits  of  the  wood,  exiled 
by  the  severities  of  cold  and  snow.  Because  of  its  pagan 
associations,  mistletoe  was  long  forbidden  in  the  church. 
Five  centuries  ago,  however,  assemblies  were  held  in  public 
squares  to  greet  the  sacred  plant,  and  its  continued  use  as 
a  protector  against  spells  is  reported  in  Worcestershire, 
where  the  farmer  offers  it  to  the  first  cow  that  calves  after 
the  new  year,  thereby  securing  his  stock  against  illness  and 
trouble  for  a  twelvemonth.  In  Germany,  if  you  will 
take  the  trouble  to  carry  a  sprig  of  mistletoe  into  an  old 
house,  the  ghosts  who  live  there  will  appear  to  you,  and 
by  means  of  it  you  may  force  them  to  answer  your  ques- 
tions. 

The  symbolism  of  mistletoe  in  Druid  rites  was  spirit, 
hence  its  relation  to  spirits,  for,  like  the  orchids,  it  grew 
not  on  the  earth,  but  in  the  air,  on  the  sacred  oak ;  at  least, 
it  was  most  prized  when  found  clinging  to  that  tree.  "When 
the  Druids  required  it  at  the  end  of  the  year,  it  was  cut 
by  a  white-robed  priest  with  a  golden  sickle,  and  was  not 

179 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

allowed  to  touch  the  ground,  a  white  cloth  being  held  for  it 
as  it  fell.  Two  white  bulls  were  then  slain  beneath  the 
oak  where  it  had  grown,  and  the  twigs  of  the  parasite  were 
distributed  among  the  people,  who  placed  them  over  doors, 
or  twined  and  carved  them  into  rings  and  bracelets,  to  keep 
off  evil;  for  it  is  a  remedy  against  fits,  witches,  apoplexy, 
poison,  tremors,  consumption,  and  the  like. 

The  wide  extension  of  the  plant  is  due  to  the  birds  that 
eat  its  sticky  berries  and  carry  its  seeds  from  tree  to  tree. 
Its  fruit  ripens  after  snow  begins  to  fly,  for  which  perver- 
sity it  may  be  said  to  entitle  itself  to  renown  for  strength. 
Virgil  says  that  ^neas  could  go  down  into  Tartarus  only 
on  condition  that  he  bore  a  mistletoe  in  his  hand.  Probably 
it  kept  off  devils.  The  old  Saxon  name  of  mistl-tan  means 
** different  twig'*;  that  is,  it  differs  from  the  twig  of  a 
tree  to  which  it  may  affix  itself.  But  it  was  not  always 
the  lean  parasite  that  it  is  to-day ;  it  was  a  tree  till  its  wood 
was  used  for  the  cross  of  Christ,  when  it  shrank  to  its 
present  proportions.  The  old-time  monks  named  it  **wood 
of  the  cross, ' '  and  swallowed  chips  of  it,  or  water  in  which 
it  had  been  steeped,  or  wore  fragments  about  their  necks  as 
cures  for  all  diseases. 

Mistletoe  was  common  in  America  before  the  landing  of 
old-world  peoples,  and  is  not,  therefore,  an  introduction 
from  Europe.  It  was  better  known  abroad,  however,  and 
to  the  Norsemen,  as  to  the  Druids,  was  fateful. 

Freya  so  loved  her  son  Baldur  that  she  asked  all  things 
of  earth  and  air  to  cherish  him.  But  one  plant  she  over- 
looked :  the  mistletoe,  hardly  seen  in  a  notch  of  a  tree,  even 
when  its  berries  whitened.  This  plant  grew  on  an  aged 
oak,  near  Valhalla,  and  in  the  shadow  of  the  oak  Baldur 
dared  the  gods  to  harm  him,  offering  himself  to  their  rough 
sport,  standing  unmoved  and  unhurt  when  they  shot  their 
spears  and  arrows  against  him.    Loki,  jealous  of  the  favor 

180 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

and  beauty  of  Baldur,  disguised  himself  as  a  woman  and 
asked  Freya  why  her  son  never  suffered  pain.  Freya 
told  him  it  was  because  the  creatures  and  things  of  the  earth 
and  air  and  water  had  promised  to  be  kind  to  him ;  therefore 
nothing  would  bruise  him  or  cause  his  blood  to  flow. 

*' And  there  is  nothing  that  can  touch  him  ? '  *  Loki  asked. 

** Nothing,"  answered  Freya,  ''except  the  mistletoe. 
But  that  is  so  small  and  feeble  it  could  hurt  nothing. ' ' 

Loki  went  back  to  the  wood  in  his  own  shape,  plucked 
the  stoutest  twig  of  mistletoe  he  could  find,  trimmed  off  its 
leaves  and  berries,  and  sharpened  its  end  to  a  point.  Soon 
after,  the  gods  again  assembled  about  Baldur,  testing  his 
invulnerability  against  bows  and  slings.  Hodur,  the  blind 
one,  stood  apart,  and  Loki  went  to  him.  *'Why  don't  you 
share  the  sport?''  he  asked. 

''I  can  not  see,  and,  besides,  I  have  nothing  to  throw," 
answered  Hodur. 

**You  can  at  least  play  at  the  game,"  insisted  Loki. 
* '  Throw  this,  in  fashion  of  a  spear. ' ' 

He  put  the  weapon  fashioned  from  the  mistletoe  into 
Hodur 's  hand,  and  turned  his  face  toward  the  spot  where 
Baldur  stood.  Hodur  threw,  and  the  point  pierced  the 
breast  of  the  young  god,  stretching  him  lifeless  on  the 
earth.  By  the  combined  power  of  all  the  gods,  Baldur  was 
restored  to  life.  They  made  the  mistletoe  promise  never 
again  to  lend  itself  to  harm,  and,  to  make  sure  that  it  kept 
its  vow,  they  dedicated  it  to  Freya  and  gave  her  special 
authority  over  it.  It  promised  never  to  do  harm  to  any 
so  long  as  it  did  not  touch  the  earth,  and  that  is  why, 
thousands  of  years  after,  people  who  have  never  heard  of 
Baldur  and  Hodur  and  Loki,  hang  the  mistletoe  in  their 
houses  in  the  season  of  gladness,  and  kiss  one  another  as 
they  pass  beneath  it,  for  it  brings  happiness,  safety,  and 
good  fortune  so  long  as  it  is  not  beneath  our  feet. 

181 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

MORNING-GLORY 

Looking  up  to  the  new  day  with  its  mild  eyes,  and 
plentifully  starring  its  vine  with  color,  the  morning-glory 
needs  only  perfume  to  be  of  exceeding  value.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  persistent  of  plants,  and,  once  sown,  is  sure 
to  continue  itself  without  other  attention  than  the  planter 
may  give  to  uprooting  the  thousand  offspring  that  gather 
about  it  when  life  renews  at  the  end  of  winter.  It  should 
be  the  emblem  of  courage  and  energy,  despite  the  tran- 
siency of  the  flower.  That  wild  form  known  to  the  Eng- 
lish as  large  bindweed,  but  to  the  French  as  belle  of  the 
day,  appears  less  beautiful  when  we  learn  that,  mashed  or 
boiled,  it  was  applied  to  vulgar  swellings  that  disfigure  the 
human  countenance.  Poetry  should  have  dissevered  morn- 
ing glory  from  the  mumps.  Gerarde,  however,  will  not 
sanction  it  for  even  this  purpose,  for,  says  he,  *'It  is  not 
fit  for  medicine,  and  unprofitable  weeds  and  hurtful  to 
each  thing  that  groweth  next  them,  and  were  only  adminis- 
tered by  runnagat  physickmongers,  quacksalvers,  old  women 
leeches,  abusers  of  physick  and  deceivers  of  people." 
Still,  the  English  country  folk  were  not  afraid  of  it:  they 
even  pickled  the  young  shoots  of  sea  bindweed  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  samphire. 

MOSS 

The  modesty  of  moss  has  not  led  to  its  neglect  by  the 
myth-makers,  for  we  know  that  the  siipercilium  veneris, 
the  hair  moss  used  by  Lapps  for  bedding,  is  claimed  for 
both  Freya  and  for  Thor's  wife,  Sif.  We  are  told,  also, 
that  the  hyrum,  now  spread  over  walls  of  Jerusalem,  is  the 
hyssop  of  Solomon;  and  as  hyssop  had  a  medicinal  worth, 
it  may  have  been  the  particular  moss  that  covered  the  cross 
of  King  Oswald,  in  Northumbria,   and  worked  miracles 

182 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OP  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

after  his  death.  For  example,  a  citizen  crossing  the  ice 
toward  this  venerated  object  fell  and  broke  his  arm,  where- 
upon a  friend  tore  some  of  the  vegetation  from  the  cross, 
clapped  it  upon  the  injured  member,  and  the  bones  knit 
instantly.  Another  moss  of  a  marvellous  sort  is  that  which 
grows  on  a  human  skull  in  a  church-yard,  for  this  is  a  cure 
for  '  *  chin  cough ' '  and  fits. 

Lycopodium  selago,  or  club  nose,  probably  the  golden 
herb  or  cloth  of  gold  of  the  Druids,  was  likewise  remarkable, 
not  as  a  medicine,  but  as  a  protection  against  unearthly 
creatures  and  black  magic;  only,  it  must  be  gathered  by  a 
person  whose  feet  were  clean  as  well  as  bare,  and  who  had 
offered  sacrifices  of  bread  and  wine.  Thus  qualified,  he 
picked  the  moss  with  his  right  hand  pushed  through  his 
left  sleeve,  and  placed  it  in  a  new  cloth.  The  Druid  nuns 
on  the  island  of  Sain,  in  the  Loire,  made  the  gathering  yet 
more  difficult  and  interesting  when  they  required  the  moss 
for  the  altars  of  Ceridwen,  the  Isis  of  their  faith,  or  their 
warriors  asked  it  to  poison  arrows.  The  maid  who  gath- 
ered it  was  stripped  of  clothing,  that  she  might  better  per- 
sonify the  moon.  She  must  avoid  iron,  for  if  that  touched 
the  moss,  calamity  was  near.  The  selago  being  found,  a 
circle  was  drawn  about  it,  and  she  uprooted  the  moss  with 
the  tip  of  her  little  finger,  her  hand  being  covered,  mean- 
time, with  a  white  cloth  never  used  before. 

Until  our  theatres  were  '^  electrified, "  lycopodium  was 
an  agent  in  imparting  the  delightful  terrors  of  a  storm — 
that,  and  cannon-balls  rolling  down  zigzag  troughs  to 
simulate  thunder,  and  peas  shaken  in  a  box  to  imitate  the 
sound  of  rain;  for  dried  club  moss  ignites  almost  like 
powder. 

The  moss  wives  of  German  lore  are  good  fairies  who 
live  in  hollow  trees,  couch  on  moss,  and  when  startled 
hide  themselves  in  this  green  growth.     Their  time  is  largely 

183 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

occupied  in  weaving  moss  into  the  most  delicate  fabrics, 
soft  as  silk,  luminous  as  velvet,  and  colored  in  the  green, 
gold,  brown,  and  red  of  the  woods.  When  a  person  has 
done  a  kindness  to  them,  or  they  have  taken  him  under 
their  protection,  they  prove  their  interest  by  embroidering 
for  him  one  of  these  moss  cloaks.  They  give  other  benefac- 
tions, too,  for  a  poor  child  who  had  climbed  the  Fichtel- 
birge  to  gather  strawberries  for  her  sick  mother,  was  met 
by  a  tiny  moss  wife  who  asked  for  some  of  the  berries.  The 
child  cheerfully  allowed  the  little  creature  to  take  her  fill 
from  the  basket.  On  reaching  home  she  found  that  all  the 
remaining  berries  had  turned  to  gold. 

MOTHERWORT 

Drink  motherwort  and  live  to  be  a  source  of  continuous 
astonishment  and  grief  to  waiting  heirs.  Its  English  name 
denotes  its  medicinal  value  for  women,  and  in  Japan  it  is 
also  a  herb  of  life.  A  certain  stream  in  that  country 
courses  down  a  hill  that  is  covered  with  this  plant,  and 
people  drinking  of  the  waters  are  wonderfully  preserved 
and  endowed  with  long  life.  Saki,  or  Japanese  brandy,  is 
supposed  to  contain  a  wee  bit  of  motherwort,  its  flowers 
being  dipped  into  the  liquor;  and  a  beer  is  also  brewed 
from  them.  The  Japanese  motherwort  festival,  on  the 
ninth  day  of  the  ninth  month,  is  signalized  by  the  drink- 
ing of  these  fluids,  and  mixing  flowers  of  the  wort  with 
rice.  Cups  of  saki  are  dressed  with  the  flowers  that 
neighbors  pass  from  hand  to  hand  with  wishes  for  a  long 
life. 

MULBERRY 

The  Greeks  dedicated  the  mulberry  to  Minerva,  because 
of  some  attribute  of  wisdom  that  its  growers  have  not 
always  shown,  for  when  James  I.  introduced  the  tree  into 

184 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

England  in  1605,  to  raise  silkworms  and  create  a  new 
industry,  he  brought  in  the  black  mulberry,  which  the 
worm  will  not  eat,  instead  of  the  white.  An  equally  disas- 
trous attempt  to  introduce  it  into  the  United  States  involved 
many  farmers  and  nurserymen  in  loss.  One  of  the  trees 
early  grown  in  this  country  was  planted  at  Clay  Court 
House  in  1840  by  a  Scotch  peddler  who  was  taken  ill 
in  that  place,  and  in  the  intervals  of  his  gripes  he  prayed 
for  some  sedative,  or  even  poison,  for  he  was  so  deep  in 
misery  that  he  desired  his  death.  As  if  in  answer  to  his 
prayer,  a  small  plant  intruded  itself  on  his  notice:  a  plant 
of  minty  and  therapeutic  odor — pennyroyal,  probably — 
which  he  eagerly  bit  upon.  His  torment  was  appeased,  and 
in  gratitude  he  marked  the  place  by  planting  a  mulberry 
seed  he  had  brought  from  Scotland.  Milton 's  tree  at  Cam- 
bridge still  bears  fruit,  but  the  mulberry  planted  by 
Shakespeare  in  his  Stratford  garden  was  cut  down  by  the 
man  who  bought  the  property,  because  people  bothered  him 
so  by  asking  to  look  at  it.  The  mulberry  is  worshipped 
outright  in  Burmah,  where  the  European  superstition  is 
not  shared :  namely,  that  the  devil  blacks  his  boots  with  the 
berries.  In  the  east  it  is  an  innocent  custom  to  make  a 
thick  preserve  from  it  on  the  15th  of  the  first  month,  because 
a  fairy,  in  payment  for  that  dainty,  engaged  with  one 
Chang  Ching  to  make  his  mulberries  yield  an  hundredfold 
more  than  they  had  ever  done  before,  and  he  had  a  won- 
drous crop  of  silk  in  consequence. 

Pyramus  and  Thisbe  are  the  classic  forerunners  of 
Romeo  and  Juliet.  These  two  young  Babylonian  lovers 
were  parted  by  their  cruel  parents,  yet  contrived  to  meet 
secretly,  and  between-whiles  they  breathed  affection  through 
a  chink  in  the  dividing  wall.  Their  favorite  tryst  was  in 
the  shade  of  a  white  mulberry  at  the  tomb  of  Ninus,  out- 
side of  the  city  gates.  One  day  Thisbe,  having  first 
arrived,  was  frightened  by  a  lion  that  made  its  appear- 

185 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

ance,  fresh  from  the  plunder  of  a  sheepfold.  She  sought 
refuge  in  a  cave,  but  in  her  haste  she  let  fall  her  veil.  It 
was  torn  by  the  claws  of  the  beast  and  drabbled  in  the 
blood  of  a  lamb  it  had  slain,  and  when  Pyranus  discov- 
ered it,  he  set  up  a  loud  lament,  convinced  that  he  had 
lost  the  maid.  * '  Since  you  are  gone, ' '  he  cried,  * '  my  blood 
shall  mingle  with  yours.''  After  moistening  the  veil  with 
his  tears,  he  plunged  his  sword  into  his  heart.  After  wait- 
ing till  she  felt  sure  the  lion  had  gone,  Thisbe  ventured 
from  her  hiding  place  and  came  to  the  tree  once  more.  A 
human  form  was  lying  under  the  mulberry.  It  was  her 
Pyramus,  and  as  she  caught  his  head  to  her  bosom  the  last 
glance  of  his  glazing  eye  was  fixed  on  her.  Exclaiming, 
**As  love  and  death  have  united  us,  let  us  be  buried  in  one 
tomb,"  she  struck  the  steel  into  her  own  soft  breast,  with 
such  force  that  the  blood  spouted  over  the  berries  hanging 
overhead.  As  her  eyes  turned  toward  the  heaven,  blue 
and  calm  beyond  the  branches  that  shadowed  her,  she 
gasped,  **You  tree,  bear  witness  to  the  wrongs  our  parents 
have  done  to  us.  Let  your  berries  be  stained  with  our  blood 
in  token  of  their  misdoing."  The  lovers  were  buried  to- 
gether and  since  that  day  the  mulberry  has  been  red. 

MUSTARD 

As  a  condiment,  mustard  has  been  known  to  men  for 
centuries.  It  is  noted  in  parable,  for  the  smallness  of  its 
seed  and  the  comparative  consequence  of  the  plant  make  it 
a  type  of  small  beginnings  and  large  endings.  There  is  a 
parable  by  Buddha  which  tells  how  a  mother,  bereft  of  her 
child,  carried  the  little  body  from  house  to  house,  imploring 
the  people  to  heal  it.  To  a  wise  man  she  put  her  constant 
inquiry,  *'My  lord  and  master,  what  medicine  will  heal 
my  boy?" 

186 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Looking  on  the  still  face,  he  answered,  ''He  requires 
a  handful  of  mustard-seed  from  a  house  where  no  child, 
husband,  parent,  or  servant  has  died. ' ' 

She  hurried  on,  but  wherever  she  asked, ' '  Has  there  been 
no  death  in  this  house?"  the  answer  would  be,  ''Assuredly, 
for  the  living  are  few  and  the  dead  a  multitude." 

Day  followed  day;  still  her  search  promised  no  ending. 
She  understood  its  uselessness  at  last,  and  knew  the  wisdom 
of  the  phj^sician,  for  she  realized  the  selfishness  of  her  grief. 
Others  had  suffered  and  sorrowed  as  much  as  she.  So 
she  parted  from  the  dead  child  in  a  wood,  and,  going  back 
to  the  wise  man,  confessed  that  she  had  not  found  the 
mustard-seed,  but  had  found  his  meaning. 

"You  thought  that  you  alone  had  lost  a  son,"  said  he, 
"but  death  rules  all." 

In  India  the  mustard  symbolizes  generation,  and  it  is 
told  that  a  farmer,  having  plowed  over  the  site  of  a  temple 
in  which  the  nymph  Bakawali  had  dwelt  immovable  for 
twelve  years,  her  body  having  been  transformed  to  marble, 
sowed  mustard  over  the  freshened  earth.  This,  ripening, 
was  eaten  by  his  wife,  who  till  then  had  been  childless. 
The  pair  soon  became  the  parents  of  a  little  one,  lovely  as 
a  nymph,  whom  they  named  Bakawali,  and  who  was  be- 
lieved to  be  no  less  than  the  original  Bakawali,  still  in 
progress  through  the  states  of  being. 


MYRRH 

Gum  of  balsamodendron  is  one  of  the  precious  sub- 
stances used  in  religious  observances,  and  its  employment 
for  this  purpose  began  at  least  two  thousand  years  ago. 
It  blended  with  the  oil  wherewith  the  priests  were  anointed, 
anciently,  and  ran  down  the  beards  of  Aaron  and  his  sons 
when  they  were  exalted  to  leadership.     With  it  the  Jews 

187 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

gave  fragrance  and  sanctity  to  the  tabernacle,  the  ark,  the 
altars,  the  cups,  and  other  holy  vessels.  During  the  year 
required  for  the  purification  of  women,  myrrh  was  employed 
for  the  first  six  months  and  other  perfumes  after.  It  is  a 
tradition  that  Nicodemus  bought  a  hundredweight  of  myrrh 
and  aloes  in  which  to  embalm  the  body  of  Christ,  follow- 
ing a  custom  of  the  Egyptians.  Incense  smoked  before  the 
sun  god  at  Heliopolis  thrice  a  day,  myrrh  being  chosen 
for  the  noon  offering,  another  resin  at  daybreak,  and  a 
blend  of  aromatics  at  evening;  and  the  Persian  kings  re- 
garded themselves  as  sufficiently  holy  to  wear  myrrh  and 
labyzus  in  their  crowns.  Indeed,  the  ceremonial  use  of  the 
gum  by  royalty  occurred  so  lately  as  the  reign  of  George 
III.,  who  made  in  the  royal  chapel  a  ** usual  offering"  of 
gold,  frankincense,  and  myrrh,  in  memory,  ostensibly,  of 
the  gifts  that  the  wise  men  laid  at  the  feet  of  the  infant 
Christ. 

Yet,  if  ancient  legend  be  true,  myrrh  is  a  sufficiently 
irreligious  matter,  being  no  less  than  the  tears  of  that 
wretched  Myrrha  who,  conceiving  an  unnatural  attachment 
for  her  own  father,  the  king  of  Cyprus,  was  pursued  by  him 
out  of  his  kingdom.  Recovering  her  reason  in  exile,  and 
wandering  for  months  in  hostile  deserts,  she  came  at  last  to 
the  Sabaean  fields,  in  Arabia,  and  there,  her  strength  gone, 
she  implored  the  gods  both  to  pardon  and  to  punish.  The 
gods  changed  her  into  myrrh,  in  which  guise  she  remains, 
weeping  tears  perfumed  of  repentance. 

MYRTLE 

Myrtle,  which  figures  so  largely  in  poetry  and  myth, 
is  thought  by  some  to  be  the  bilberry  or  whortleberry,  or 
bay.  Indeed,  the  bay  is  a  variety  of  myrtle,  and  has 
among  its  congeners  the  giant  eucalyptus,  the  guava,  pi- 

188 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

mento,  clove,  and  pomegranate.  There  is  reason  to 
assume,  however,  that  the  myrtle  of  the  ancients  was  the 
myrtle  that  abounds  in  southern  Europe  and  has  extended 
into  other  lands.  In  its  human  origin  it  was  Myrtilus,  the 
rogue  son  of  Mercury,  who  took  a  bribe  from  Pelops  to  pull 
a  pin  from  his  master's  chariot- wheel.  This  enabled  Pelops 
to  win  a  race  and  thereby  claim  his  master's  daughter. 
The  master  showed  scant  gratitude,  for  he  seized  the  aston- 
ished young  rascal  and  incontinently  flung  him  into  the 
sea,  scorning  the  traitor  he  had  made.  But  the  sea  would 
none  of  him,  either,  and  tossed  him  ashore,  where,  in  mercy, 
his  human  form  was  taken  from  him,  and  he  became  a  tree. 

In  another  legend  the  myrtle,  which  loves  salt  air,  is  a 
creation  of  Venus,  who  was  known  in  some  states  of  Greece 
as  Mjnrtilla,  or  Myrtea,  and  whose  head  was  decked  with  it 
when  Paris  judged  her  most  beautiful  of  the  gods.  In  that 
legend  a  girl  Myrene,  who  had  been  carried  from  home 
by  a  robber  band,  was  rescued  by  Venus,  who  made  her 
priestess  in  her  temple.  During  one  of  the  festivals,  My- 
rene chanced  to  see  a  member  of  the  pirate  crew,  and  in 
her  rage  for  vengeance  pointed  him  out  to  her  lover,  promis- 
ing to  yield  to  his  entreaties  if  he  would  put  the  robber  to 
the  sword.  The  lover  succeeded,  but  Venus,  angered  by 
her  priestess's  desertion,  cast  the  young  man  into  a  fatal 
illness  and  changed  Myrene  into  the  myrtle.  When  Venus 
found  that  her  wayward  son,  Cupid,  had  fallen  in  love  with 
Psyche,  it  was  with  a  myrtle  rod  that  she  beat  the  weeping 
nymph,  and  again,  when  pursued  by  satyrs,  it  was  a  myrtle 
that  received  her  into  its  friendly  shadow.  In  a  legend 
possibly  yet  older,  the  myrtle  was  created  by  Minerva,  and 
the  subject  of  the  metamorphosis  was  Myrsine,  a  sprightly 
maid  who  had  beaten  the  goddess  in  a  foot-race. 

Rogero,  the  Moorish  knight,  landing  from  his  hippogriff 
on  an  unknown  coast,  tied  his  steed  to  a  myrtle  tree,  while 

189 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

he  slaked  his  thirst  at  a  fountain  that  bubbled  forth  in  a 
neglected  garden.  He  had  laid  aside  his  helmet,  shield, 
and  weapons  to  rest,  when  a  voice  issued  from  the  tree, 
saying,  ''Do  I  not  suffer  enough,  that  I  must  endure  this 
rudeness?"  The  knight,  hurrying  to  untie  his  winged 
monster,  answered,  '' Whatever  you  are,  tree  or  mortal,  I 
ask  forgiveness  for  my  unwitting  fault,  and  am  ready  to  do 
what  I  can  to  repair  it."  Tears,  like  thin  gum,  trickled 
down  the  bark,  and  the  tree  spoke  again :  ' '  I  am  Astolpho, 
paladin  of  France  and  by  renown  one  of  the  bravest.  Re- 
turning from  the  east,  we  reached  the  castle  of  dreaded 
Akina,  who  took  me,  a  willing  subject,  to  her  island  seat. 
There  we  passed  happy  days  till,  tiring  of  me,  as  of  all  who 
yield  to  her,  she  changed  me  to  this  form :  a  myrtle.  Of  my 
friends,  some  are  here  as  cedars,  olives,  palms;  some  she 
changed  to  springs  and  some  to  rocks  and  some  to  beasts. 
Beware,  for  this  may  be  your  fate." 

Rogero  attached  too  little  importance  to  the  warning. 
He,  too,  met  Alcina,  and,  bewildered  by  her  beauty,  suffered 
himself  to  be  led  to  her  palace,  with  its  walls  of  gold  and 
pillars  of  diamond.  In  the  end  he  also  was  changed  into  a 
myrtle;  but,  recovering  his  human  form  through  white 
magic  as  powerful  as  her  black,  he  avenged  himself  on  the 
enchantress  and  released  Astolpho  and  his  friends. 

To  the  Greeks,  myrtle  was  an  emblem  of  immortality, 
because  it  kept  green  throughout  the  year ;  and  because  the 
work  of  great  men  is  immortal,  in  humanity's  conceit,  the 
populace  bound  myrtles  on  their  favorites '  brows  when  they 
had  produced  successful  plays  and  epics.  In  the  markets  a 
large  space  was  always  reserved  for  the  sale  of  these  shrubs 
and  they  figured  in  feasts  and  ceremonies.  One  of  the 
wreaths  of  myrtle  carried  in  the  procession  of  Europa  at 
Corinth  measured  ten  feet  in  diameter. 

Being  a  tree  of  love,  the  myrtle  was  viewed  askant  by 
the  pious  of  the  ancient  world.     When  the  festival  of  the 

190 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Bona  Dea  came  around,  it  was  allowable  for  the  Romans 
to  use  every  plant,  flower,  and  leaf  in  the  decorations,  save 
only  the  myrtle,  which  was  barred  on  the  ground  that  it 
encouraged  sensuality.  Yet  the  Greeks  wore  the  leaves  not 
only  in  their  celebrations,  but  in  their  religious  mysteries. 
The  custom  of  crowning  people  with  myrtle,  especially 
brides,  was  passed  on  by  the  Romans  to  the  Jews,  and  by 
them  to  the  Germans,  who  are  fond  of  it  as  a  wedding 
ornament,  and  to  the  Bohemians  who  employ  it  contrari- 
wise for  funerals — a  lovely  custom,  this  bowering  of  the 
dead  in  green,  signifying  immortality.  To  the  Jews,  who 
used  myrtle  in  their  feast  of  tabernacles,  and  to  their  rela- 
tives, the  Arabs,  the  myrtle  was  reminder  of  the  bounty  of 
deity  when  Adam  was  expelled  from  paradise,  for  the  first 
father  was  allowed  to  take  with  him  wheat,  chief  of  foods ; 
date,  chief  of  fruits ;  and  myrtle,  chief  of  scented  flowers. 

NARCISSUS 

Narcissus  is  that  Narkissos  of  the  ancients,  a  seemly 
youth  who  won  the  love  of  Echo,  but  did  not  love  her  in 
return.  In  despair,  she  faded  to  a  voice,  and  you  shall 
hear  her  calling,  sadly,  in  waste  places.  But  the  youth 
had  his  punishment :  having  caught  sight  of  his  own  reflec- 
tion in  a  spring,  he  was  lured  back  to  lie  on  its  brink  for 
hours,  admiring  the  face  he  saw  there.  He  would  not  eat 
nor  sleep  for  love  of  the  image,  and  worshipped  so  ardently 
that  he  died  of  sheer  weakness;  or  he  may  have  fallen 
forward  into  the  spring  and  been  drowned.  When  the 
nymphs  came  to  remove  the  body  to  the  funeral  pyre,  they 
found  no  corpse,  but  in  its  stead  the  whit«  flower  we  call 
poet's  narcissus.  It  came  at  once  into  the  favor  of  the 
gods  and  men  and  was  planted  everywhere.  Pluto  used 
it  to  entice  Proserpine  to  hell,  or  else  to  so  dull  and  drowse 
her  senses  and  those  of  her  attendants  that  her  danger 

191 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

was  not  seen.  In  the  Greek  belief,  it  wreathed  the  harsh 
locks  of  the  Eumenides.  It  also  starred  the  brows  of 
the  Fates,  and  when  the  dead  went  into  the  presence  of  the 
gods  of  the  underworld,  they  carried  crowns  of  narcissus 
that  those  who  mourned  had  placed  in  their  white  hands 
when  the  last  good-byes  were  said. 

We  learn  from  Sophocles  that  narcissus  was  the  crown 
of  the  goddesses  on  Olympus,  blooming  constantly,  moist 
and  fragrant  with  the  dew  of  heaven.  If  the  Greeks  wove 
the  narcissus  about  the  brows  of  dreaded  Dis  and  the  Furies, 
if  they  placed  it  in  the  coffins  of  their  dead,  it  was  because 
it  gave  off  an  evil  emanation,  producing  dulness,  madness, 
and  death.  Indeed,  narhe,  the  Greek  word  from  which  the 
flower  really  takes  its  name,  signifies  narcotic. 

NETTLE 

Tender-handed,  grasp  the  nettle,  and  it  stings  you  for  your  pains. 
Grasp  it  like  a  man  of  mettle,  and  it  soft  as  silk  remains. 

This  ancient  saw  many  good  people  believe  and  take  on 
other  men's  authority,  for  the  nettle  is  an  irritating  plant, 
its  stems  being  covered  with  fine,  sharp  hairs  that  have 
a  poisonous  effect  on  the  skin  they  pierce.  It  is,  or  was, 
occasionally  stewed  into  a  tea  by  country  women  and  ad- 
ministered to  the  helpless  and  unfortunate  as  a  cure  for 
anything  that  might  be  the  matter  with  them.  It  is  one  of 
the  five  bitter  herbs  which  the  Jews  were  commanded  to 
eat  at  the  Passover.  The  Roman  nettle,  that  thrives  in 
England,  was  planted  there  by  Caesar's  soldiers,  who,  not 
having  breeches  thick  enough  to  enable  them  to  withstand 
the  climate,  suffered  much  in  the  cold,  raw  fogs ;  so,  when 
their  legs  were  numb  they  plucked  nettles  and  gave  those 
members  such  a  scouring  that  they  burned  and  smarted 
gloriously  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 

192 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

OAK 

In  the  speech  and  letters  of  all  men,  the  oak  is  the 
symbol  of  strength.  It  was  Jove's  tree;  the  Thunderer's 
of  the  North,  no  less;  Merlin  worked  his  enchantments 
in  its  shade ;  beneath  it  the  Druids  held  their  mystic  rites. 
The  Hebrews  held  it  in  liking,  for  under  it  Abraham  re- 
ceived the  angels ;  Saul,  his  sons,  and  Deborah  were  buried 
beneath  it;  Jacob  hid  in  one  of  them  the  Shechem  idols; 
it  was  an  oak  from  which  Absalom  was  hung  by  the  hair; 
the  anger  of  Ezekiel  was  roused  by  the  images  of  wrong 
gods  that  ''stood  in  every  thick  oak";  and  in  its  shadow 
towered  the  angel  who  spoke  to  Gideon.  Doubtless  it  was 
the  service  which  this  excellent  tree  has  given  to  mankind 
that  keeps  it  in  use  in  oratory  and  poem,  as  it  is  useful  in 
the  arts.  It  has  furnished  us  with  house,  ship,  arm,  tool, 
funnel,  and  food. 

Back  in  the  golden  age  the  oaks  dripped  honey,  and  men 
lived  in  peace  and  comfort  with  no  shelter  but  their  boughs. 
In  the  silver  age  they  left  these  coverts  and  stripped  away 
the  branches  for  their  huts,  thus  isolating  themselves  and 
departing  from  their  primitive  communism.  In  the  brazen 
age  they  shaped  from  the  wood  handles  for  their  weapons. 
In  the  iron  age,  the  age  of  crime  and  violence  and  greed, 
the  oaks  were  wrenched  from  the  hills  for  battle-ships,  aid- 
ing to  curse  where  once  they  blessed.  Erisichthon,  the  law- 
less and  irreverent,  ordered  his  servants  to  fell  an  oak  that 
stood  in  a  grove  of  Ceres.  They,  fearing  the  anger  of  the 
gods  for  such  a  sacrilege,  debated  till  Erisichthon,  whose 
anger  was  not  to  be  slighted,  either,  grasped  the  ax  from 
the  hands  of  the  unwilling  woodmen  and  assailed  the  trunk 
himself.  A  spectator  who  reached  forward  to  take  away 
the  implement  caught  the  blow  of  the  ax  on  his  neck,  so 
that  his  head  rolled  at  the  tree^s  foot  and  bathed  the  roots 
13  193 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

in  blood.  Now  furious,  Erisichthon  attacked  the  oak  with 
such  energy  that  it  fell,  amid  the  cries  of  the  beholders. 
But  he  enjoyed  no  triumph  from  this  act.  From  the  fallen 
body  of  the  tree  came  a  voice  saying,  **I  who  live  in  this 
tree  am  a  nymph  of  Ceres,  and  in  my  death  hour  I  warn 
you  of  punishment."  Retribution  came  speedily.  The 
goddess  whose  nymph  had  been  so  cruelly  slain  condemned 
the  cutter  to  unending  hunger.  He  squandered  all  his  for- 
tune on  food;  he  ate  continually;  yet  nothing  nourished 
him,  and  he  died  at  last,  gnawing  at  his  own  flesh.  An- 
other instance  of  the  speaking  tree  is  found  in  the  oaks  of 
Dodona,  which  retained  their  power  to  talk,  even  after  cut- 
ting, for  the  prow  of  the  Argo,  being  fashioned  from  one  of 
them,  directed  the  crew  and  warned  Jason  to  purge  himself 
of  the  murder  of  Absyrtus. 

Of  old  it  was  noticed  that  oaks  were  oftener  struck  by 
lightning  than  were  most  other  trees,  hence  it  was  supposed 
that  Jupiter  launched  his  arrows  at  them  in  warning, 
when  he  would  express  his  displeasure  at  the  perversity  of 
the  human  race,  the  oaks  being  worthier  and  stronger  to 
receive  these  bolts  than  other  objects.  The  oak  known  as 
the  holm,  or  ilex,  a  funeral  tree  in  which  the  ravens  croaked 
forebodings,  ''drew  lightning"  to  that  degree  that  ancient 
farmers  planted  it  as  a  lightning  rod,  or  spite  vent  for  the 
gods,  which  may  account  for  its  sombre  reputation.  When 
Christ 's  fate  was  known  in  the  forest  the  trees  held  council 
and  resolved  not  to  lend  their  wood  for  the  execution. 
Every  tree  that  the  ax-men  tried  to  cut,  splintered  and 
broke,  or  dulled  the  tool  with  knots,  till  the  ilex  was 
reached.  That  alone  remained  whole,  and  of  that  the  in- 
strument of  death  was  shaped;  but  though  it  thus  became 
accursed,  Jesus  forgave  it  as  content  to  die  with  Him,  and 
in  the  shade  of  an  ilex  he  reappeared  to  the  saints. 

The  Greek  drus,  a  tree,  gave  the  name  to  dryads,  and 

194 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

later  to  Druids;  and  belief  in  dryads  merged  into  a  faith 
in  fairies,  the  northward  progress  of  this  belief  being  trace- 
able into  far  countries.  These  fairies  affected  oaks,  making 
their  homes  in  hollow  trunks  and  going  in  and  out  by  the 
holes  where  branches  had  fallen;  hence  it  is  healing  to 
touch  the  ''fairy  doors"  with  a  diseased  part,  if  church-bells 
have  not  driven  the  elves  away.  The  barbarians  thought 
so  much  of  a  certain  oak  in  Hesse  that  St,  Boniface  swore 
to  cut  it  down.  A  tree  so  esteemed  could  be  nothing  less 
than  an  idol.  As  he  laid  his  ax  to  the  trunk,  the  heathen 
stood  afar  off,  looking  to  see  him  maimed  or  blinded,  cursing 
him  under  their  breath,  yet  too  frightened  for  interference. 
When  half-severed  the  great  creature  trembled,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  a  blade  had  flashed  from  the  sky,  for  of  a 
sudden  it  split  into  four  equal  pieces,  and  came  to  the 
earth  spread  apart,  like  petals  of  a  great  flower.  Now, 
there  may  have  been  some  who  saw  in  this  no  greater  favor 
for  the  new  gods  than  the  old,  but  the  saint  claimed  it  as 
a  show  of  approval  for  his  effort,  and  several  were  con- 
verted on  the  spot;  so  in  a  few  days  the  timbers  of  Thorns 
oak  were  hewn  into  an  oratory,  where  they  celebrated  the 
new  faith.  Other  oaks  were  resanctified  from  the  worship 
of  Thor  to  that  of  Christ  by  carving  crosses  on  their  stems, 
and  legend  confuses  us  when  we  find  that  whereas  the  fair- 
ies avoided  the  signs  of  the  Christian  faith  in  some  parts 
of  the  world,  in  others  they  fled  to  these  protected  trees, 
even  as  men  did.  In  one  pathetic  happening,  we  find  the 
tale  of  Apollo  and  Daphne  transferred  to  Germany:  A 
young  farmer  marries  an  elf,  believing  her  human,  but 
when  he  embraces  her  she  changes  suddenly  into  an  unre- 
sponsive oak.  If  we  pass  eastward  from  Germany  the  oak 
is  still  a  tree  of  legend,  and  among  the  blonde  Lithuanians 
we  discover  traces  of  their  ancient  forest  worship.  They 
were  a  quiet  people,  even  when  savagery  encompassed  them, 

195 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

and  were  much  buried  in  woods,  which  they  worshipped  as 
abodes  of  deities — secretly  worship  to  this  day  in  isolated 
communities.  Offerings  from  the  people  were  placed  at 
the  feet  of  the  biggest  oaks,  and  the  chief  priest,  or  krive, 
known  also  as  judge  of  judges,  headed  a  hierarchy  of  no  less 
than  seventeen  orders  of  priests  and  elders  of  forest  wor- 
ship. Lithuania  was  not  christened  till  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury. 

Despite  these  heathen  practices  and  associations,  despite 
the  ancient  belief  that  from  it  came  the  race  of  men,  the  oak 
presently  became  acceptable  to  disciples  in  the  new  faith, 
and  was  early  regarded  as  the  tree  of  Mary.  In  a  Greek 
legend  its  roots  went  down  to  hell;  but  in  early  Christian 
lore  its  boughs  are  heard  praying  to  heaven.  The  druide, 
as  the  Gaels  called  the  oak,  was  sought  by  the  very  ones  who 
had  rebuked  the  popular  affection  for  it.  In  Ireland  St. 
Bridget  at  Kildare  abode  in  ''the  cell  of  an  oak"  and 
founded  there  the  first  religious  community  of  women  in 
that  island ;  at  Kenmare,  St.  Columba  had  her  favorite  oak, 
and  a  tanner  who  had  impudently  peeled  the  bark  from  it 
to  season  leather  for  shoes  was  smitten  with  leprosy  for  his 
insolence;  another  saint,  Colman,  was  the  guardian  of  an 
oak,  a  fragment  of  which  kept  in  the  mouth,  safeguarded 
the  faithful  a-gainst  hanging,  if  they  had  been  forgetful  in 
their  morals.  Augustine  chose  an  oak  for  his  oratory,  also, 
when  he  addressed  King  Ethelbert  to  convert  him.  The 
chair  of  St.  Peter,  in  the  Vatican,  is  an  oak  board  in  a 
frame  of  acacia. 

It  was  to  be  expected  that  superstitious  people  would 
ascribe  virtues  to  a  tree  that  meant  so  much  for  their  faith, 
their  practices  and  their  history,  hence  even  in  our  country 
we  find  survivals  of  that  belief  in  the  curability  of  diseases 
by  pushing  the  patient  no  longer  through  the  ''fairy  doors," 
but  through  the  forks  of  an  oak,  or  a  gap  made  artificially, 

196 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

with  axes,  and  thereafter  to  be  repaired  with  loam.  The 
tree  is  benignant  even  to  the  Wandering  Jew,  for  he  can 
have  no  rest  unless  he  finds  two  oak  trees  growing  in  the 
form  of  a  cross.  There  he  can  fling  himself  to  the  ground 
and  take  the  sleep  that  has  been  denied  to  him  for  months. 
St.  Anthony's  fire,  toothache,  and  other  disorders  were 
cured  by  the  wood,  bark,  or  even  by  the  moral  influence  of 
the  oak,  and  people  fastened  locks  of  their  hair  to  it  when 
they  sought  its  help,  and  fed  its  galls  to  spavined  horses. 

In  Finland  they  tell  of  an  oak  so  tough  that  it  grew 
only  bigger  and  stouter  when  attacked  by  woodmen  with 
their  saws  and  axes — a  legend  that  embodies  popular  re- 
spect for  the  tree:  a  respect  that  in  Saxony  took  shape  in 
a  law  forbidding  its  injury.  Similar  protection  was  given 
to  the  Stock  am  Eisen,  in  Vienna,  an  ancient  tree  into  which 
every  apprentice,  starting  on  his  year  of  wandering,  after 
the  good  Teuton  fashion,  thrust  a  nail  for  luck.  It  is  the 
survivor  of  a  holy  grove  in  which,  originally,  the  cathedral 
stood.  Many  are  these  oaks  of  history  and  observance: 
the  Parliament  oak;  the  oak  of  Robin  Hood;  John  Lack- 
land's  oak  in  Sherwood  Forest;  William  Rufus's  in  New 
Forest;  the  Volkenrode  oak  of  Gotha;  the  oak  at  Saintes, 
France,  estimated  to  be  two  thousand  years  old ;  Westman  's 
oak  of  Dartmoor ;  the  oak  of  Dorset,  sixty-eight  feet  around, 
with  a  chamber  sixteen  feet  wide  in  its  trunk,  that  was 
fitted  as  an  ale-house ;  the  Wadsworth  oak  on  Genesee  river ; 
the  oak  at  Flushing,  New  York,  that  served  George  Fox 
as  a  Quaker  meeting-house;  the  oak  at  Natick,  Massachu- 
setts, a  ''peace  tree"  of  the  Indians  and  a  shelter  for  Eliot 
when  he  translated  the  Bible  into  Algonquin.  The  oak 
that  inspired  Morris  to  his  adjuration,  ''Woodman,  spare 
that  tree, ' '  grew,  not  as  might  be  supposed,  on  his  premises, 
but  in  St.  Paul's  churchyard,  a  few  steps  from  roaring 
Broadway. 

197 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

In  a  tradition  of  the  Mission  Indians,  Wyot,  son  of 
Night  and  Earth,  guardian  of  all  things,  told  of  his  death 
ten  months  in  advance — **when  the  great  star  rises  and 
the  grass  is  high.''  He  bade  his  people  gather  shoots  of 
bushes  and  make  a  basket  for  his  ashes,  for  he  had  taught 
the  arts  to  them;  and  when  they  burned  his  body  and  en- 
tered on  a  season  of  mourning  his  spirit  did  not  suffer  in 
the  fire :  it  ascended  to  the  skies  and  became  the  moon,  or, 
in  another  version,  a  bright  star,  believed  to  be  Vega.  The 
frog,  then  a  creature  fair  to  look  on,  with  flesh  white  and 
red,  and  big  eyes,  had  yet  thin  and  ugly  legs,  and  the  sight 
of  men  with  legs  more  shapely  made  her  jealous  and  wishful 
to  injure  them ;  hence,  when  Wyot  was  drinking  at  a  spring 
she  fouled  the  water  and  spat  in  it  three  times,  accusing 
him  of  her  defects  of  shape.  Wyot  drank  the  water  and 
became  ill,  dying  as  he  had  said,  in  May,  with  a  promise 
that  from  his  ashes  should  spring  a  precious  gift  to  all  his 
children.  And  while  his  soul  went  skyward  his  mortal  part 
became  the  oak.  Seeing  it  fair  and  strong,  the  people  who 
had  cherished  it  said  to  the  crow,  **Go  to  the  great  star 
and  find  Wyot,  that  we  may  know  all  the  uses  of  the  tree 
he  has  given  to  us.''  The  crow  flew  high,  but  came  back; 
then  the  eagle  was  dispatched,  and  he,  too,  returned  with- 
out a  message ;  all  the  birds  in  turn  undertook  the  errand, 
but  none  was  strong  enough  to  reach  the  star.  Finally  the 
humming-bird  was  told  to  seek  the  absent  one,  and  he  flew 
from  the  earth  with  the  speed  and  straightness  of  an  arrow. 
After  some  days  he  reappeared  and  gave  the  words  of 
Wyot:  **The  tree  I  have  given  to  you  with  my  body  is 
for  the  sustenance  of  all  people  and  animals  and  birds. 
Men  will  make  flour  of  its  nuts  and  this  flour  can  be  made 
into  cakes."  So  the  feast  of  acorns  became  a  yearly  ordi- 
nance, and  the  acorn  is  still  a  food  of  the  Mississippi 
Indians. 

198 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

It  is  recorded  that  Jeanne  d'Arc  went  to  her  death  the 
sooner  because  she  had  been  accused  of  frequenting  the 
Fairy  Oak  of  Bourlemont,  hanging  it  with  garlands,  danc- 
ing and  skipping  about  it  during  mass,  and  reviving  the 
worship  of  its  spirit,  who  in  return,  had  given  to  her  the 
charmed  sword  and  banner  with  which  she  led  her  country- 
men to  victory.  But  of  late  centuries  it  is  oftener  the 
saints  who  have  appeared  in  the  trees,  and  so  late  as  the 
nineteenth  we  hear  of  a  girl,  frightened  by  thunder,  taking 
refuge  under  an  oak  on  the  Roman  Campagna — the  most 
dangerous  place  one  can  choose  in  a  storm,  for  tall  trees 
draw  the  lightning — and  begging  the  Virgin  to  save  her 
from  the  elements.  The  Virgin,  neglecting  the  rest  of  Italy 
to  protect  one  who  had  presence  of  mind  to  pray  to  her, 
appeared  and  remained  beside  the  young  woman,  allaying 
her  fright  and  keeping  every  drop  of  rain  from  the  leaves, 
although  it  poured  a  deluge  roundabout. 

There  used  to  stand  in  Bologna  a  famous  cork  tree,  a 
variety  of  oak,  in  which  a  pious  shepherd  placed  a  statue 
of  the  Virgin.  That  was  well  enough,  save  that  the  young 
man  had  thoughtlessly  borrowed  the  image  from  a  church, 
without  asking  leave  of  the  clergy,  because  he  conceived  that 
they  were  neglecting  it.  And  to  this  tree  he  would  repair 
every  day  and  play  his  flute  before  the  Virgin.  Having 
been  caught  in  the  act,  and  the  robbery  being  brought  home 
to  him,  he  was  sentenced  to  death,  and  the  statue  was  taken 
back  to  the  church;  but  that  night  it  indignantly  stalked 
out  of  the  building,  away  from  the  keeping  of  the  neglectful 
fathers,  and,  opening  the  prison  door,  released  the  inno- 
cent thief,  so  they  were  found  together  in  the  tree  next  day. 
They  were  taken  down,  locked  up,  but  the  miracle  was  re- 
peated, until  the  people  were  convinced  that  it  was  the 
Virgin  *s  will,  so  the  tree  became  a  shrine.    Perhaps  from 

199 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

that  incident  began  the  practice  of  hanging  small  images 
of  the  Virgin  in  oak  trees  in  country  districts. 

Father  Bernardo,  a  holy  hermit  who  lived  far  from 
cities,  was  often  besought  to  solve  moral  problems  and  guide 
his  people  in  worldly  transactions.  Though  his  time  was 
mostly  spent  in  prayer,  he  derived  comfort  from  his  *'two 
daughters":  terms  playfully  applied  to  little  Mary,  the 
daughter  of  a  vine-dresser,  who  brought  delicacies  to  soften 
the  hardness  of  his  fare  and  cheer  him  with  her  prattle,  and 
a  big  oak  that  defended  his  hut  from  snow  and  rain. 
This  oak  was  his  daily  companion.  He  watered  its  roots 
if  it  thirsted,  talked  to  it,  caressed  it,  and  fancied  its 
thanks  in  the  murmur  of  its  leaves.  Once,  when  the  coun- 
try had  been  devastated  by  freshets  that  swept  away  his 
cabin,  he  found  refuge  in  the  tree,  and  thither  went  the 
speaking  *' daughter,"  carrying  food  and  cover,  for  after 
three  days  of  imprisonment  among  the  branches  he  was  like 
to  die.  Several  lumbermen  wanted  to  cut  the  tree  into 
beams,  but  Bernardo  would  never  consent,  and  during  his 
life  the  oak  suffered  no  injury.  As  his  last  days  drew 
near  he  implored  heaven  to  mark  ''his  two  daughters"  in 
some  way  to  signify  the  use  and  beauty  of  their  lives,  but 
at  first  it  did  not  appear  as  if  this  were  to  be  done,  for 
Mary  became  the  wife  of  an  artisan,  and  the  big  oak 
was  at  last  sacrificed  for  its  wood,  which  Mary's  father 
converted  into  wine  casks.  As  the  young  woman  sat  nurs- 
ing her  infant  before  one  of  these  casks  a  handsome  stranger 
drew  near,  just  as  the  older  boy  of  Mary  ran  to  her  with  a 
little  cross  he  had  fashioned  from  a  couple  of  sticks.  As 
if  struck  by  the  incident,  the  young  man  asked  leave  to 
make  a  picture  of  the  group.  Hardly  waiting  permission, 
indeed,  he  seized  the  cover  of  the  cask  and  on  its  smooth 
surface  outlined  the  picture  known  to  the  world  as  the 
* '  Madonna  delle  Sedia. ' '    For  the  young  man  was  Raphael. 

200 


THE   MADONNA    OF   THE    CHAIR 

FROM  THE  PAINTING  BY  RAPHAEL 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

And  thus  the  prayer  of  Father  Bernardo  was  answered, 
for  the  two  '^ daughters"  became  elements  in  one  of  the 
highest  expressions  of  beauty. 

OLEANDER 

In  an  humble  home  in  Spain  a  girl  lay  ill  of  fever. 
Her  mother  had  done  what  her  small  means  allowed  for  her 
comfort,  yet  the  patient  made  no  gain  toward  recovery. 
Reduced  almost  to  illness  herself  by  the  sense  of  unavailing 
service,  the  mother  fell  on  her  knees  at  the  bedside  and 
offered  a  fervent  prayer  to  St.  Joseph  for  the  sufferer's 
recovery.  A  reviving  shock  of  joy  went  through  her  when 
she  raised  her  head  and  found  the  room  shining  in  a  rosy 
light  that  seemed  to  emanate  from  a  figure  which  bent 
above  the  child — a  man  of  lofty  aspect.  The  stranger 
placed  on  the  child 's  breast  a  branch  of  flowering  oleander, 
pink  and  unfading,  as  if  freshly  plucked  in  paradise.  Then 
the  light  faded,  and  when  the  mother  rubbed  her  eyes  to 
see  the  man  more  clearly  and  thank  him  for  his  coming, 
the  chamber  was  empty,  save  of  the  patient  and  herself. 
But  she  saw  that  the  girl  was  in  a  calm  sleep,  the  first 
since  her  illness,  and  bowed  her  head  anew  with  tears  of 
gratitude.  The  recovery  was  swift,  and  from  that  day  the 
oleander  became  the  flower  of  St.  Joseph. 

In  spite  of  this  legend,  the  plant  has  an  unpleasing  repu- 
tation. We  of  the  north,  who  prize  it  for  its  beauty  and 
spend  much  for  greenhouse  specimens,  do  not  suffer  from 
its  presence,  but  in  Greece  and  Italy  it  was  a  funeral  plant, 
and  poison  to  cattle.  The  Hindu  calls  it  the  horse-killer; 
but  he  so  appreciates  its  charm  that  he  decorates  his  tem- 
ples with  it,  and  of  its  lovely  clusters  he  makes  wreaths 
for  the  brows  of  his  dead  when  they  go  to  the  burning 
ghat. 

901 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

OLIVE 

The  olive  is  significant  of  security  and  peace,  because 
it  was  with  the  olive-branch  that  the  dove  returned  to  the 
ark,  and  it  is  of  record  in  holy  writ  because  it  figures  in  the 
parable  of  Jotham.  Its  oil  has  been  in  use  for  thousands 
of  years,  and  was  the  base  of  those  perfumed  ointments 
sold  for  so  large  a  price  in  Rome  and  Athens.  It  kept  alight 
the  lamps  in  the  Tabernacle.  It  anointed  the  heads  of 
priests  and  kings.  When  peace  was  sought  between  war- 
ring nations,  the  messengers  bore  olive-branches,  as  did 
the  Athenian  who  sought  the  Delphic  oracle,  or  waved  them 
in  the  temples  of  Artemis  to  avert  the  plague.  Young 
saplings  that  rise  about  the  parent  stem  afford  our  com- 
mon simile  of  olive  branches,  as  applied  to  offspring. 

It  is  Minerva's  tree — the  olive.  She  bade  it  rise  from 
the  earth  when  Neptune  caused  a  salt  spring  to  open  on 
the  Akropolis.  For  in  the  contest  between  Athena  and 
Poseidon  for  possession  of  the  city  that  afterward  took 
her  name,  the  deities  declared  that  whichever  of  the  twain 
bestowed  upon  it  the  gift  best  worth  men's  acceptance 
should  command  the  city's  worship.  Poseidon  came  out 
of  his  element  to  create  the  horse ;  but  Athena  created  the 
olive,  and  every  gourmet  owes  a  silent  thanks  to  her  as  he 
nibbles  its  fruit  or  pours  its  oil  upon  his  salad.  And  so 
the  city  went  to  Athena,  not  Poseidon.  The  commoners  of 
the  city  believed  its  destinies  inwrought  with  that  of  the 
olive,  so  the  lamps  of  their  Parthenon  were  lighted  with  its 
oil ;  and  as  the  favor  it  enjoyed  in  Athens  led  to  its  being 
planted  roundabout,  it  came  into  use  to  mark  comers  and 
boundaries  of  estates.  The  general  reverence  led  Solon 
to  promulgate  a  law  for  its  planting,  as  the  symbol  of 
freedom,  hope,  mercy,  prayer,  purity,  and  order.  In 
neighboring  Italy  this  sanctity  continues  to  our  day,  for  a 

202 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

branch  of  olive  hung  above  a  door  will  keep  out  devils  and 
wizards.  In  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  the  doors,  posts, 
and  cherubim  were  of  its  wood ;  and  the  importance  of  the 
tree  is  suggested  in  the  name  of  Mount  of  Olives,  and 
Gethsemane,  the  latter  word  meaning  *' olive-oil  press.'' 

When  Adam  felt  his  end  approaching  he  sent  Seth, 
his  son,  to  the  gates  of  paradise  for  the  promised  oil  of 
mercy.  Although  four  hundred  and  thirty-two  years  had 
passed  since  the  exile,  the  path  made  by  Adam  through  the 
fields  and  woods  was  as  plain  as  if  marked  but  the  day 
before,  for  no  grass  might  grow  where  feet  accursed  of  God 
had  trodden.  Seth  walked  on  and  on  till  at  last  he  saw 
a  tree  of  wondrous  size  and  beauty,  standing  in  an  open 
place  where  four  great  rivers  sprang  from  a  single  foun- 
tain. Although  it  bore  not  a  leaf,  the  tree  was  of  com- 
manding height  and  grace.  A  serpent  twined  about  its 
trunk  (here  we  see  a  likeness  to  Ygdrasil),  and  in  its  top- 
most branches  sat  a  child  in  shining  vestments:  the  child 
appointed  by  heaven  to  give  the  oil  of  mercy  when  the  time 
for  pardon  should  have  come.  As  Seth  looked  upon  these 
things  and  basked  in  the  loveliness  of  the  landscape,  an 
angel  advanced  from  the  tree,  bringing  three  seeds  from 
the  forbidden  fruit,  which  were  to  be  placed  in  Adam's 
mouth  when  he  was  buried.  So  when  Adam  died,  Seth  did 
as  the  angel  commanded,  and  lo,  from  the  seeds  sprang 
three  several  trees :  a  cypress,  a  cedar,  and  an  olive.  When 
Moses  started  on  his  wanderings  through  the  wilderness, 
he  took  these  saplings  to  the  Valley  of  Consolation,  the 
tears  and  blood  of  the  consecrated  keeping  them  alive  in  the 
forty  years  of  marching  up  and  down  through  the  little 
state.  One  of  them  was  the  burning  bush  in  which  Moses 
saw  the  Lord.  When,  at  last,  the  saplings  that  had  rooted 
in  the  mouth  of  Adam  were  planted,  they  grew,  within 
thirty  years,  into  a  single  tree,  beneath  which  David  wept 

203 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

for  his  sins.  Solomon,  more  philosophic  and  practical,  saw 
its  chief  beauty  in  use,  and,  like  any  modern  investigator, 
hewed  it  doTvn  to  see  what  manner  of  timber  it  would 
make.  It  seemed  to  be  sound,  but,  strangely  enough,  no 
amount  of  shaping  and  trimming  could  make  it  fit  its  place 
as  a  beam  for  the  Temple  in  Jerusalem,  and,  finding  it 
blessed  or  cursed  with  some  uncanny  quality  that  kept  it 
from  the  use  of  men,  Solomon  preserved  it  as  a  sacred  relic 
in  the  grounds  of  the  Tabernacle  itself.  Here  one  day  a 
woman  of  the  Romans,  one  Maximilia,  carelessly  leaned 
against  it,  then  sprang  away  in  fright,  crying,  '*  Jesus 
Christ,  thou  son  of  God,  help  me!''  for  flame  had  leaped 
from  it  and  ignited  her  robes.  At  the  call  the  fire  ceased, 
but  the  Jews,  who  had  seen  and  heard,  said  she  was  a  witch. 
"To  say  that  Jehovah  had  a  son  is  blasphemy,"  said  they. 
**We  will  hunt  this  woman  from  the  city."  And  they  did 
so.  Years  afterward  the  incident  came  to  mind  again, 
for  this  was  the  first  speaking  of  the  words,  '  *  Jesus  Christ. ' ' 
Finally,  the  timber  was  thrown  into  a  marsh,  where  the 
queen  of  Sheba  crossed  it,  to  dry  ground,  when  she  visited 
Jerusalem.  As  her  feet  rested  there  a  vision  arose  before 
her,  and  she  saw  Christ  suspended  on  a  cross  at  the  hill-top, 
undergoing  shameful  death.  And  so  it  came  to  pass,  for 
after  a  time  the  log  floated  to  the  surface  of  the  morass 
again,  and  on  the  night  of  the  betrayal  it  was  lifted  out 
and  shaped  into  the  cross,  some  say  by  the  hand  of  Christ 
Himself.  The  pale  color  of  the  olive  leaves  is  due  to  their 
still  reflecting  the  glory  that  shone  on  them  when  the 
Sufferer  was  transfigured  on  Olivet. 

THE  ONION  AND  ITS  KIND 

That  fragrant  lily  we  call  the  onion  has  long  been 
esteemed,  not  merely  for  its  culinary  uses,  but  as  medicine, 
and  it  also  figures  in  verse  and  tale  as  a  symbol.     The 

204 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

leek  was  a  food  of  the  poor  in  the  orient,  therefore  it  came 
to  mean  humility,  though  it  also  became  the  emblem  of 
Wales,  because  it  had  the  Cymric  colors,  green  and  white. 
Garlic,  another  relative  of  the  onion,  is  given  to  dogs, 
cocks,  and  ganders  in  Bohemia,  to  make  them  fearless  and 
strong.  Onions  are  endowed  with  magic  properties,  and 
if  hung  in  rooms  where  people  congregate  the  vegetable 
draws  to  itself  the  diseases  that  might  otherwise  afflict  them. 
In  the  onion  the  Egyptians  symbolized  the  universe,  since 
in  their  cosmogony  the  various  spheres  of  hell,  earth,  and 
heaven  were  concentric,  like  its  layers. 

The  onion  is  sacred  to  St.  Thomas,  and  at  Christmas  be- 
comes a  rival  to  the  mistletoe.  At  the  old  holiday  sports, 
a  merry  fellow  who  represented  the  saint  would  dance  into 
the  firelight  when  the  Yule  log  blazed,  and  give  to  the  girls 
in  the  company  an  onion  which  they  were  to  cut  into  quar- 
ters, each  whispering  to  it  the  name  of  the  young  man  from 
whom  she  awaited  an  offer  of  marriage,  waving  it  over  her 
head,  and  reciting  this  spell : 

Grood  Saint  Thomas  do  me  right,  and  send  my  true  love  come 

to-night, 
That  I  may  see  him  in  the  face,  and  him  in  my  kind  arms 

embrace. 

The  damsel  will  be  in  her  bed  by  the  stroke  of  twelve, 
and  if  the  fates  are  kind  she  will  have  a  comforting  vision 
of  the  wedding. 

ORANGE 

Certain  poets  would  have  us  believe  that  the  golden 
apples  of  the  Hesperides  were  no  apples,  but  mere  oranges 
— too  common,  surely,  to  justify  the  heroics  of  Hercules, 
for  that  much  tried  man,  in  his  picking  of  the  fruit,  in- 
volved himself  in  a  journey  to  Mount  Atlas,  and  a  battle 
with  the  fearsome  dragon  that  guarded  them  j  yet  his  labors 

205 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

brought  no  gain,  for,  as  the  fruit  would  not  keep,  except 
under  the  eyes  of  Hesperus's  daughters,  Minerva  carried 
it  back;  so  ^gle,  Arethusa,  and  Erythia  regained  their 
golden  apples,  as  the  Rhine  maidens  regained  the  stolen 
Rhine  gold.  They  would  even  have  us  believe — ^these  poets 
— ^that  when  the  crafty  Hippomenes  outfooted  the  swift  Ata- 
lanta  it  was  only  oranges  that  he  cast  over  his  shoulder.  Be- 
cause Jupiter  gave  the  orange  to  Juno  when  he  married  her, 
orange-blossoms  are  still  worn  by  brides,  though  the  flower 's 
waxy  whiteness  and  luscious  perfume  entitle  it  to  popular- 
ity for  its  own  sake. 

ORCHID 

Beautiful  as  is  the  orchid,  there  was  nothing  beautiful 
in  its  origin,  for  the  first  Orchis  was  the  son  of  a  nymph 
and  a  satyr,  hence  a  fellow  of  unbounded  passion.  At  a 
festival  of  Bacchus,  being  warm  with  drink,  he  attacked 
a  priestess,  whereupon  the  whole  congregation  fell  upon 
him  and  rent  him  limb  from  limb.  His  father  prayed  the 
gods  to  put  him  together  again ;  but  the  gods  refused,  tem- 
pering their  severity,  however,  by  saying  that  whereas  the 
deceased  had  been  a  nuisance  in  his  life,  he  should  be  a  satis- 
faction in  his  death,  so  they  changed  him  to  the  flower  that 
bears  his  name.  Even  the  flower  was  alleged  to  retain  tem- 
per, and  to  eat  its  root  was  to  suffer  momentary  conversion 
into  the  satyr  state. 

PALM 

The  palm  supplies  rude  tribes  with  food  and  shelter, 
oil  and  fuel.  From  its  dates  the  Babylonians  made  wine. 
It  stands  in  the  desert  as  a  mark  of  cooling  water  wells, 
and  lines  the  shore  with  graceful  plumes.  In  Egypt  the 
admiration  for  its  shapeliness  expressed  itself  in  capitals 
of  temple  and  palace  columns,  which  are  conventionalized 

206 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

from  its  tufts  of  leaves.  In  the  dawn  of  history  the  tree 
signified  riches,  generation,  victory,  and  light;  hence  the 
Greeks  sanctified  it  to  Apollo  and  venerated  it  as  immortal. 

The  date  palm  is  held  in  respect  among  the  Tamaquas 
of  Mexico  as  the  founder  of  the  human  race  after  the  flood. 
In  the  east  it  was  Mahomet  who  created  the  palm,  causing 
it  to  spring  from  the  earth  at  his  command.  Typifying 
Judea,  it  was  the  seal  of  that  nation  on  the  coins  of  the 
Roman  rulers,  for  to  the  Jews  it  was  a  token  of  triumph, 
to  be  carried  in  procession,  and  waved  before  conquerors; 
a  reminder,  too,  of  the  pleasant  wells  of  the  promised 
land,  and  the  successful  wars  they  waged  to  reach  them. 
Palestine,  indeed,  is  said  to  take  its  name  from  the  palm, 
and  its  Hebrew  name,  tamar,  was  given  to  women,  signify- 
ing their  grace  and  uprightness.  We  still  keep  Palm  Sun- 
day in  memory  of  the  day  when  Christ  entered  Jerusalem 
and  the  people  waved  and  strewed  palms  before  Him — an 
incident  now  denoted  in  the  wearing  of  crossed  fragments 
of  palm  in  hats.  Before  that  time  the  Jews  had  their  own 
palm  festival,  when  they  retired  from  the  city  for  a  week 
to  live  in  tents  and  cabins  of  palm  branches,  passing  a 
season  of  merry-making  and  family  reunions,  for  it  memo- 
rialized the  final  success  after  forty  years  of  camp  life. 
To  sufferers  for  religion,  the  angels  brought  palm  branches 
before  their  souls  fled  through  the  smoke,  and  so  the  tree 
came  to  be  called  a  token  of  martyrdom.  On  All  Souls' 
Day,  palms  are  thrown  into  the  fire,  and  as  they  rise  in 
smoke  they  are  seized  in  proof  of  victory  by  the  souls  that 
day  released  from  purgatory. 

In  the  traditions  of  some  countries  the  palm  was  the 
forbidden  tree  of  paradise,  and  in  the  coat  of  arms  of 
South  Carolina  we  read  a  suggestion  of  this  myth,  for  we 
find  there  a  palm  circled  by  a  serpent.  In  the  northern 
lands  fragments  of  palm  were  precious,  for  not  only  would 

207 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

they  subdue  water  devils,  but  with  a  leaf  of  it  one  might 
cast  down  the  Wild  Huntsman  himself.  In  superstitious 
uses,  it  prevents  sunstroke,  if  the  person  seeking  its  pro- 
tection has  burnt  it  as  a  sacrifice  during  an  eclipse;  it 
averts  lightning  if  a  cross  of  its  leaves  be  laid  on  the  table 
while  the  storm  is  raging;  it  cures  fever  if  bits  of  the  leaf 
are  swallowed ;  it  drives  away  mice  when  placed  near  gran- 
aries; and  if  one  would  be  rid  of  fleas  he  puts  a  palm  leaf 
behind  the  Virgin's  picture  on  Easter  morning,  at  the  first 
stroke  of  the  resurrection  bell,  saying,  ' '  Depart,  all  animals 
without  bones."  For  one  year  the  fleas  will  stay  away; 
which  is  a  great  comfort. 

It  was  a  palm  that  St.  Christopher  used  as  a  staff  when, 
in  his  pre-Christian  character  of  Offero,  he  bore  the  weak 
and  small  across  the  raging  river  and  so  carried  Christ 
Himself.  As  the  giant  stood  marvelling  that  so  great  a 
weight  could  be  expressed  in  so  small  a  body,  Christ  bade 
him  thrust  his  staff  into  the  ground,  where  it  would  blossom 
in  token  of  the  importance  of  his  service.  This  he  did,  and 
it  burst  into  flow^er  and  fruit,  for  it  was  a  date  tree.  And 
the  dark  mind  was  enlightened.  He  understood  that  it 
was  no  man  child  of  a  common  sort  he  had  carried  through 
the  river,  and  he  knelt  and  worshipped,  taking  the  name, 
Christofero,  or  Christ-bearer;  and,  having  lived  and  died 
in  the  odor  of  sanctity,  he  was  gathered  to  the  saints. 

Another  saint  is  Clara,  founder  of  the  order  of  Poor 
Clares,  who  renounced  the  world  on  Palm  Sunday,  receiving 
from  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  the  palm  branch  which  in  those 
days  was  the  mark  of  sanctity. 

In  the  legends  of  the  holy  family,  the  Virgin  commanded 
the  palm  to  bend  its  leaves  above  the  little  Jesus  during 
the  flight  into  Egypt,  in  order  that  the  babe  might  have 
its  shade.  At  another  time  when  the  mother  of  Christ 
was  hungry  and  asked  her  husband  to  gather  dates  for  her, 

208 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Joseph  demurred,  but  the  infant  Jesus  ordered  the  tree 
to  bend  so  that  she  could  pluck  the  fruit,  and  this  it  did  so 
willingly  that  He  blessed  it  and  chose  it  as  a  "  symbol  of 
salvation  for  the  dying,"  promising  that  when  He  entered 
Jerusalem  in  triumph  it  should  be  with  a  palm  in  His  hand. 

In  her  ''Legends  of  the  Madonna,"  Mrs,  Jameson  tells 
how  the  Virgin  was  comforted,  after  the  crucifixion,  by  an 
angel  who  appeared,  crying,  ''Hail,  Mary,  blessed  of  God! 
I  bring  a  palm  that  has  grown  in  paradise.  Let  it  be  car- 
ried before  your  bier  on  your  death,  for  in  three  days  you 
shall  join  your  son."  The  angel  then  took  his  flight,  leav- 
ing the  branch  on  the  ground,  where  it  shone  and  sparkled 
gloriously.  And  when  the  friends  and  disciples  were  come 
from  the  mount  of  sorrow,  Mary  gave  the  palm  to  John 
and  asked  him  to  bear  it  at  her  burial.  That  night,  amid 
the  sound  of  singing  and  a  gush  of  strange  perfume  through 
the  house,  the  Virgin  died  with  angels  about  her  bed  and 
such  a  blaze  of  light  arising  from  her  body  that  those  who 
prepared  it  for  burial  were  nearly  blinded.  And  the  palm 
was  carried  to  her  tomb,  where  another  miracle  occurred, 
for  she  was  rapt  to  heaven  in  the  flesh  and  welcomed  by 
choiring  angels  and  players  upon  harps  beyond  number  for 
multitude.  Looking  into  the  tomb  afterward,  it  was  found 
to  hold  no  corruption,  but  to  be  filled  with  roses  and  lilies. 

We  have  a  palm  in  the  southwest  that  is  peculiar  to  that 
region:  the  desert  fan,  or  Washington  filifera,  from  whose 
fibres  the  Indians  make  their  baskets,  ropes,  and  roofs,  and 
with  which  they  sweeten  their  meal  of  mesquite  beans.  Be- 
fore the  coming  of  trouble,  in  the  form  of  the  white  race, 
the  Cahuilas  carried  each  male  child  to  the  mountains, 
soon  after  birth,  and  there  allotted  to  him  a  particular  tree 
which  served  him  as  reminder  of  the  deity.  It  was  his 
to  care  for  and  to  worship  as  a  natural  altar,  and  when 
he  died  it  was  killed  by  burning.  The  Caribs  tell  us  that 
14  209 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

when  the  deluge  began  to  cover  the  earth,  people  tried  to 
escape  by  climbing  the  cocorite  palm,  whose  top  reached 
heaven.  An  old  woman  in  the  lead  became  dizzy  and 
frightened  when  half  way  up,  and  so  became  stone,  as  did 
all  those  who  tried  to  pass  her;  but  all  who  climbed  the 
komoo  palm  were  saved. 

PANSY 

Our  pansy  is  a  development  from  the  violet,  the  little 
spots  which  show  clearly  in  the  white  violet  having  been 
enlarged  through  cultivation  to  the  markings  that  have 
so  queer  a  suggestion  of  a  face.  An  old  German  tale 
represents  that  it  once  had  as  fine  a  perfume  as  the  violet, 
but  as  it  grew  wild  in  the  fields  the  people  sought  it  with 
such  enthusiasm  that  they  heedlessly  trampled  the  grass 
needed  for  cattle,  and  even  the  vegetables  required  for  their 
own  tables.  Seeing  the  wreck  that  was  wrought  by  this 
eagerness,  the  flower  prayed  to  the  Trinity  to  take  away 
its  odor,  that  it  might  be  no  longer  sought.  This  prayer 
was  granted,  and  it  was  then  that  it  took  the  name  of  trin- 
ity. To  the  monks,  it  was  the  flower  of  trinity,  or  herb 
trinity ;  to  the  laity,  it  was  three  faces  in  a  hood ;  in  heathen 
days,  it  was  Jove's  flower;  with  Christianity,  it  became  the 
flower  of  Saint  Valentine;  heart's  ease  is  another  title;  and 
of  the  accepted  name  of  pansy — which  is  our  way  of  saying 
pensee,  a  thought — there  are  quaint  spellings,  such  as 
pauses,  penses,  paunces,  pancyes,  and  pawnees,  these  versions 
occurring  in  old  poetry.  Other  odd  names  for  it  are  ladies ' 
flower,  bird's  eye,  pink  of  my  John,  Kit  run  in  the  street, 
flamy,  cull  me,  call  me,  stepmother,  sister  in  law,  the  longer 
the  dearer,  kiss  me  quick,  kiss  me  at  the  garden  gate,  cuddle 
me,  jump  up  and  kiss  me,  and  kiss  me  ere  I  rise. 

210 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

PASSION  FLOWER 

In  an  old  Spanish  tradition  it  was  the  psission  flower 
that  climbed  the  cross  and  fastened  about  the  scars  in  the 
wood  where  the  nails  had  been  driven  through  the  hands 
and  feet  of  the  Sufferer.  The  early  fathers  saw  in  its  bud 
the  eucharist,  in  its  half -open  flower  the  star  in  the  East, 
and  in  the  full  bloom  the  five  wounds,  the  nails,  the  ham- 
mer, the  spear,  the  pillar  of  scourging,  and  the  crown  of 
thorns,  in  its  leaves  the  spear-head  and  thirty  pieces  of 
silver,  in  its  tendrils  the  cords  that  bound  the  Lord.  This 
growth  upon  the  cross  was  not  remembered  by  the  people 
of  Jerusalem,  but  was  revealed  to  St.  Francis  of  Assisi 
in  one  of  his  starving  visions.  It  had  turned  in  his  sight 
from  Lady  Poverty,  the  object  of  his  worship,  to  the 
flowering  plant.  When  the  Spaniards  found  the  flower 
growing  in  the  jungles  of  South  America  they  regarded  it 
as  a  promise  that  the  natives  should  be  converted,  and  a 
curious  drawing  made  by  one  of  the  priests  shows  not  only 
a  likeness  to  the  implements  of  the  crucifixion,  but  the 
objects  themselves  in  miniature:  the  column,  nails,  crown, 
and  cup.  In  allusion  to  the  habit  of  the  flower  in  half 
closing  to  a  bell  form,  a  churchman  wrote,  ^'It  may  be 
well  that  in  His  infinite  wisdom  it  pleased  Him  to  create 
it  thus  shut  up  and  protected,  as  though  to  indicate  that 
the  wonderful  mysteries  of  the  cross  and  of  His  Passion 
were  to  remain  hidden  from  the  heathen  people  of  those 
countries  until  the  time  preordained  by  His  Highest  Maj- 
esty." Naturally,  so  marvellous  a  plant  was  sought  and 
acclaimed  by  clerics  of  all  degrees,  and  by  the  sick  and 
crippled,  and  so  eager  is  the  eye  of  faith  that  after  the  vine 
was  naturalized  in  Europe  the  people  long  continued  to  see 
in  it  those  signs  and  wonders  that  we  do  not.  When  the 
Jesuits  announced,  in  1600,  that  the  objects  of  the  passion 

211 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

were  disclosed  in  the  flower,  an  indignant  botanist,  an 
early  Huxley,  exclaimed,  ''I  dare  say  God  never  willed 
His  priests  to  instruct  His  people  with  lies;  for  they  come 
from  the  Devill,  the  author  of  them." 

PAULO  WNIA 

Centuries  ago  there  stood  in  the  dragon  gorge  of  Honan 
an  imperial  paulownia,  or  kiri,  that  ruled  the  forest  by 
reason  of  its  height,  its  symmetry,  and  the  profusion  of  its 
flowers.  And  so  it  stood  for  ages,  singing  to  the  wind 
in  its  own  voice.  A  wizard  wandering  that  way  listened, 
and  at  a  touch  of  his  wand  he  changed  the  tree  into  a  harp, 
which,  however,  was  to  yield  its  music  only  to  the  greatest 
of  musicians.  The  emperor  summoned  the  masters  and 
ordered  them  to  strike  its  chords,  but  always  when  they 
did  so  the  notes  were  harsh.  Then  Peiwoh  came,  and, 
instead  of  smiting  its  strings  with  command,  as  the  others 
had  done,  he  touched  the  harp  lovingly,  asking  it  to  speak 
in  its  own  voice,  and  not  in  the  music  of  men.  There  was 
no  vanity  in  the  man,  hence  the  kiri  sang  once  more,  sound- 
ing like  the  breath  of  a  storm  across  the  woods,  recalling 
the  carol  of  birds,  and  suggesting  the  sound  of  rain,  of  dis- 
tant thunder,  of  waterfalls,  of  falling  timber — all  the 
sounds  of  the  wilderness  it  knew  and  loved  in  its  life. 
The  emperor,  delighted,  asked  an  explanation  of  the  mas- 
tery and  mystery.  "It  is  that  I  encouraged  the  kiri  to 
choose  its  own  themes,"  answered  Peiwoh.  In  which 
allegory  the  art  spirit  stands  confessed. 

PEA 

This  delicate  and  nourishing  vegetable  was  a  food  of 
hearty  old  Thor,  the  thunderer,  in  whose  honor,  on  Thor's 
day   (Thursday)   it  is  still  eaten  in  Germany,    The  pea 

212 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

came  by  an  ill  reputation,  because,  when  the  fires  which 
were  kindled  on  St.  John's  eve  drove  away  the  dragons 
that  had  been  soaring  roundabout,  dripping  pestilence  from 
their  wings,  those  canny  brutes,  not  daring  to  descend  to 
the  hills  where  the  flames  appeared,  carried  up  stores  of  peas 
and  dropped  them  into  the  wells  and  springs,  where,  rotting, 
they  raised  a  doleful  stench  and  created  miseries  in  the 
inwards  of  the  public. 

Peas  are  used  in  divination,  and  ancient  ceremonies 
testify  to  a  regard  that  in  our  day  of  good  cooking  should 
be  no  less.  Scottish  and  English  lads  and  lassies  are 
rubbed  with  pea  straws  by  way  of  consolation  when  they 
have  been  jilted.  When  an  eligible  miss  in  shelling  peas 
discovers  nine  in  a  pod,  she  puts  the  pod  on  the  lintel  and 
holds  her  breath,  for  the  first  male  person  who  enters 
thereafter  will  marry  her — if  he  is  not  already  married, 
and  is  not  related. 

PEACH  y 

•V 
A  popular  folk-tale  of  Japan  recites  that  an  old  woman     .  ^ 

washing  clothes  at  a  river  was  startled  by  a  rolling  and  ^ 
splashing  in  the  water,  and  presently  there  came  to  her 
feet  a  large,  round  object  of  pink  color.  She  drew  it  with 
difficulty  to  the  ^ank,  where  she  discovered  that  it  was  a' 
peach,  containing  food  enough  to  serve  her  and  her  hus- 
band for  several  days.  On  breaking  it  open,  they  were 
amazed  to  discover,  cuddled  inside  the  peach  stone,  a  tiny 
child.  The  little  fellow  was  cared  for  by  his  foster  parents, 
who  gave  to  him  the  best  training  and  schooling  that  their 
means  afforded.  When  he  attained  his  growth  he  invaded 
the  Island  of  Devils,  defeated  its  inhabitants,  and  seized 
their  treasure,  which  he  poured  at  the  feet  of  the  aged 

£13 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

couple  in  reward  for  their  love  and  their  service  in  deliver- 
ing him  from  the  peach. 

Collectors  of  porcelains  and  other  works  of  Chinese 
art  have  observed  the  peach  as  a  decorative  figure,  but  have 
not  always  known  that  in  presenting  a  vase  or  dish  so 
ornamented  the  giver  implies  a  hope  of  long  life  for  the 
recipient.  For  in  China  the  peach  is  the  emblem  of 
longevity,  the  bowls  and  plates  on  which  it  appears  in 
picture  being  intended  as  birthday  gifts. 

PEEPUL 

The  peepul,  pippala,  or  asvattha  of  India,  which  botan- 
ists insist  should  be  called  ficus  religiosa,  is  sacred  to  Bud- 
dha, and  shades  many  of  his  shrines  and  temples.  It  is 
the  tree  of  wisdom,  for  Buddha  sat  beneath  it  in  that  long 
trance  of  acquired  merit,  when  he  stripped  his  memory 
of  earthly  things  and  enlarged  his  mind  to  the  understand- 
ing of  heaven.  The  sacred  fires  are  fed  with  peepul  wood 
and  wood  of  the  acacia  sumi,  the  peepul  symbolizing  the 
male  principle,  the  acacia  the  female,  and  the  flame  being 
created  by  rubbing  sticks  of  the  two.  Priests  drink  the 
divine  soma  from  vessels  of  peepul,  and  they  who  eat  of 
its  fruit  when  they  reach  paradise  become  enlightened, 
for  this  fruit  is  ambrosia,  food  of  gods. 

The  Hindus,  who  have  almost  as  much  regard  for  this 
tree  as  have  the  Buddhists,  represent  Vishnu  seated  on  its 
leaves ;  but  they  share  in  the  preservation  of  the  peepul,  or 
bo,  at  Anuradhapura,  Ceylon,  which  is  held  to  be  a  scion 
of  the  veritable  tree  under  which  Buddha  received  illumina- 
tion. In  Thibet,  the  Buddhists  declare  that  the  peepul  is 
the  bridge  whereon  all  worthy  souls  pass  from  earth  to 
heaven. 

214 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 


PEONY 

The  peony,  or  paeony,  is  cited  by  Pliny  as  the  earliest 
known  of  medicinal  plants.  In  his  very  remarkable  nat- 
ural history  we  learn  that  the  woodpecker  is  especially 
fond  of  it,  and  that  if  he  sees  you  picking  the  flower,  he 
will  fly  at  you  and  pick  your  eyes  out.  The  name  of  the 
plant  perpetuates  that  of  Apollo  in  his  character  of  physi- 
cian, for  as  Paeon  he  healed  the  wounds  the  gods  received 
in  the  Trojan  war.  From  that  fact,  the  early  doctors  of 
medicine  were  known  as  pceoni,  and  medicinal  plants  were 
paeoniae.  To  this  day,  it  is  a  practice  among  the  peasantry 
of  Sussex  to  put  strings  of  beads  carved  from  peony  roots 
about  the  necks  of  their  children,  not  merely  that  they  may 
cut  their  teeth  upon  them,  but  that  the  beads  may  avert 
illness  of  all  sorts,  as  well  as  the  machinations  of  evil  spirits. 

Apollo,  being  the  healer  and  giver  of  light,  heat,  and 
other  blessings,  was  praised  in  the  hymn  which  took  his 
name,  and  which  we  still  call  the  pasan.  Thus  in  nomen- 
clature the  peony  has  a  more  than  aristocratic  lineage;  it 
is  divine.  Yet  it  was  a  cause  of  strife  and  sorrow  even  on 
Olympus,  for  .<Esculapius,  having  been  stirred  to  jealousy 
by  the  success  of  Pjeon — who  now  appears,  not  as  the  dis- 
guised Apollo,  but  as  a  man — in  curing  a  hurt  for  Pluto, 
put  his  rival  to  death.  Pluto,  however,  saved  his  physician 
from  the  common  fate  by  changing  him  into  the  flower  he 
had  employed  in  his  wonder  work.  In  one  ancient  belief 
the  flower  sprang  from  a  moonbeam,  and  in  yet  another  its 
origin  was  not  a  physician,  but  a  blushing  shepherdess, 
Pgeonia,  whose  charms  had  stirred  the  love  of  Apollo. 

In  the  east,  where  peonies  abound,  and  where  the  Japan- 
ese cultivate  five  hundred  varieties,  rearing  them  to  arbo- 
real dimensions,  they  tell  of  a  Chinese  scholar  whose  chief 
recreation  was  in  the  care  of  these  flowers.    Living  so 

215 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

largely  in  their  company  and  in  that  of  his  books,  it  was 
natural  that  he  should  be  startled,  though  agreeably  so,  by 
the  visit  of  a  lovely  maid,  who  appeared,  unannounced,  at 
his  door  and  asked  to  be  taken  into  his  employ.  He  cheer- 
fully complied  with  her  request,  and  his  cheer  increased 
as  time  went  on,  for  he  discovered  presently  that  she  was 
not  only  servant,  but  companion ;  she  had  received  an  excep- 
tional education,  knew  court  etiquette,  wrote  like  a  scholar, 
and  was  poet,  painter,  and  friend.  The  young  man  intro- 
duced her  to  his  acquaintances  with  pride,  and  they  were 
astonished  no  less  at  her  accomplishments  than  at  her  grace 
and  beauty.  She  always  obeyed  him  with  gladness,  till  the 
fatal  day  arrived  when  a  visit  was  expected  from  a  famous 
moralist;  then  the  scholar  summoned  her  in  vain.  Uneasy 
at  her  absence,  he  went  in  search,  and  on  entering  a  shad- 
owed gallery  he  saw  her  gliding  before  him  like  a  spectre. 
Before  he  could  overtake  her,  she  had  flattened  herself 
against  the  wall  and  sunk  into  it  till  she  was  a  mere  picture 
on  the  surface,  though  her  lips  continued  to  move.  **I 
did  not  answer  when  you  called  me,"  she  confessed,  **for 
I  am  not  a  human  creature :  I  am  the  soul  of  a  peony.  It 
was  your  love  that  warmed  me  into  human  shape,  and  it 
has  been  a  joy  to  serve  you.  But  now  that  the  priest  has 
come,  he  will  disapprove  your  love,  and  I  can  not  keep 
my  form.  I  must  return  to  the  flowers."  In  vain  the 
scholar  argued  and  implored ;  she  sank  more  deeply  into  the 
wall ;  the  colors  of  the  picture  that  she  made  grew  fainter ; 
at  length  she  faded  altogether,  and  there  was  no  trace  of 
her  from  that  day.  And  the  scholar  went  about  in 
mourning. 

PIMPERNEL 

Scarlet  pimpernel  is  called  ''poor  man's  weather  glass," 
from  its  habit  of  closing  before  rain,  and  is  a  fair  marker 
for  the  hours  likewise,  since  it  opens  at  about  seven  and 

216 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

closes  at  two,  according  to  English  observers.  As  it  grew 
on  Calvary,  it  was  sovereign  against  spells,  and  would  even 
draw  splinters  from  the  flesh.  This  formula,  however,  is 
to  be  said  for  fifteen  days  running,  twice  a  day,  night  and 
morning,  if  the  splinters  have  been  driven  in  by  witches : 

Herbe  pimpernel,  I  have  thee  found 

Growing   upon    Christ   Jesus'   ground; 

The  same  gift  the  Lord  Jesus  gave  unto  thee 

When  He  shed  His  blood  on  the  tree. 

Arise  up,  pimpernel,  and  go  with  me. 

And  God  bless  me. 

And  all  that  shall  wear  thee.    Amen. 

PINE 

Becoming  jealous,  C'ybele,  mother  of  the  gods,  put  an 
end  to  the  flirtations  of  a  shepherd  whom  she  loved  by 
changing  him  into  a  pine.  Having  thus  estranged  him 
from  his  proper  shape,  she  passed  much  time  beneath  his 
branches,  mourning;  wherefore  Jove,  himself  a  frequent 
heart-breaker,  had  such  sympathy  for  her  that,  in  order  to 
make  this  memorial  seemly  at  all  seasons,  he  ordained  that 
its  foliage  should  be  ever  green.  The  Chinese  regard  the 
pine,  plum,  and  bamboo  as  embleming  friendship  in  adver- 
sity, because  of  this  quality  of  enduring  cold  without  los- 
ing their  summer  aspect.  We  find  constancy  indicated  in 
a  Roman  legend  of  a  youth  and  maid  who  died  of  grief 
because  their  love  was  thwarted,  the  one  changing  to  a  pine 
and  the  other  to  a  vine,  growing  together  for  centuries 
in  a  fast  embrace.  There  would  seem  no  reason  for  the 
diabolic  character  that  Sulpicius  gave  to  the  pine  in  his 
life  of  St.  Martin,  for  its  uses,  its  beneficence,  and  its 
beauty  justify  all  good  report. 

The  tree  takes  its  name  from  pinus,  a  raft,  because  the 
wood,  being  easy  to  cut,  was  employed  for  the  boats  and 
floats  of  primitive  men.     Hence  the  Greeks  held  it  sacred 

217 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

to  the  sea  god.  That  men  listened  to  its  musical  breathings 
thousands  of  years  before  science  marred  the  poetry  of 
nature  is  proved  in  the  belief  that  the  pine  was  the  mistress 
of  Boreas,  the  wind,  and  Pan,  the  all-god.  It  bore  chil- 
dren, in  the  German  tradition,  and  every  hole  and  knot 
in  the  trunk  is  the  point  from  which  a  wood  spirit  escaped 
into  the  outer  world,  sometimes  growing  and  becoming 
as  other  women,  as  in  Sweden,  where  a  famous  beauty 
of  Smaland  was  accepted  as  a  member  of  a  family.  Her 
history  was  in  some  doubt,  but  she  did  her  part  in  the 
house  and  farm  work,  and  no  question  of  her  human  quality 
was  raised,  unless  by  strangers,  who  were  astonished  by  her 
height  and  her  bright  beauty,  and  who,  listening  to  the 
lulling  tones  of  her  voice,  thought  them  as  soft  as  the  mur- 
mur in  a  pine.  All  went  well  with  the  family  till  a  knot 
in  a  pine  board  of  the  house  wall  fell  out,  and  a  way  of 
escape  to  the  forest  was  so  opened.  The  woman  crept  to 
the  place  and  listened  to  that  music  of  the  outer  world, 
that  world  of  her  youth  and  her  dreams,  and,  longing  in- 
tensely to  return  to  it,  her  body  shrank  and  shrank  till  she 
was  a  tiny  elf.  With  a  smile  and  a  tear,  she  looked 
about  her  home  of  years,  nodded  a  good-by,  and  was  gone 
from  that  place  forever. 

Near  Ahorn,  Coburg,  an  image  of  the  Virgin  was 
miraculously  concealed  in  a  pine  trunk,  but  made  itself 
known  to  the  priest,  who  caused  a  church  to  be  erected 
on  the  spot;  and  it  was  probably  the  steeple  of  this  same 
edifice  that  a  witch  twisted  out  of  the  vertical,  involving 
the  place  in  the  scorn  of  neighbor  villages  for  the  slowness 
of  the  congregation  in  putting  it  straight.  Matters  were 
remedied  when  one  of  the  Ahorn  peasants,  choosing  a  pine 
that  was  stout  enough  to  endure  it,  made  it  proxy  for  the 
steeple,  and  by  pulling,  hauling,  and  invoking  persuaded 
the  tower  to  imitate  the  motions  imparted  to  the  pine. 

218 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

For  this  tree  developed  mysterious  powers  and  properties 
when  it  was  discovered  that  its  cone,  cut  lengthwise,  exhib- 
ited the  form  of  a  hand — the  hand  of  Christ.  When  Mary 
was  in  flight  she  stopped  beneath  a  pine,  and,  concealed 
from  her  enemies,  rested  sweetly  in  a  cool,  green  chamber 
filled  with  balsamy  fragrance,  the  tree,  as  if  to  prove  the 
love  of  the  plant  world,  having  lowered  its  limbs  about  her. 
Herod's  soldiers  passed,  and  the  baby,  raising  his  hand  to 
bless  the  tree  for  its  shelter,  thus  marked  the  fruit  of  it. 

These  cones  are  eaten  by  Indians,  and  were  used  as 
food  by  the  Romans  also,  who  held  that  they  imparted 
strength.  Thieves  in  Bohemia  are  said  to  eat  them  even 
yet,  believing  that  the  oily  nut  makes  them  shot-proof. 
The  pine  is  also  a  cure  for  gout,  cataract,  and  for  sundry 
diseases  of  live  stock.  It  was  esteemed  by  our  Puritan 
fathers,  for  when  they  landed  at  dismal  Plymouth  it  was 
the  only  green  thing  they  saw ;  hence  they  took  it  as  a  de- 
vice, stamping  it  upon  their  pine  tree  shillings  and  other 
coinage,  and  imposing  it  on  the  state  seal  of  Massachusetts. 
Other  pilgrims  came,  and  lopped  away  the  woods,  the 
forest  margin  retreating  northward,  and  so  Maine  came 
to  be  known  as  the  Pine  Tree  State,  a  haven  for  the  wild 
things,  a  place  of  ponds  and  streams  that  disappear  when 
the  woods  are  cut  and  the  uncovered  soil  converts  to  dust 
under  the  pelt  of  the  sun. 

Folk-tales  of  many  lands  contain  allusion  to  the  pine. 
One  of  them  is  told  in  Japan :  An  aged  couple  had  a  dog 
that,  scratching  in  the  earth,  uncovered  gold.  A  jealous 
and  mean-hearted  neighbor  asked  the  service  of  the  animal, 
on  hearing  of  this  fortune,  for  he  believed  that  equal  luck 
would  fall  to  him :  but  instead  of  revealing  buried  treasure, 
the  dog  uncovered  a  quantity  of  filth,  so  enraging  the 
jealous  one  that  he  killed  the  animal  and  buried  it  under 
a  pine.     Nourished  by  the  body,  the  tree  grew  to  a  noble 

219 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

size  and  kept  the  spirit  that  was  in  the  dog  and  that  it 
continued  to  exercise  toward  its  beloved  master,  who, 
having  occasion  to  pound  his  grain,  shaped  a  piece  of 
its  wood  into  a  mortar.  So  long  as  he  used  it,  barley 
appeared  to  well  up  from  the  bottom,  and  there  was  never 
lack  of  food.  The  neighbor,  hearing  of  this  miracle,  asked 
for  the  loan  of  the  utensil,  and  the  same  ill  luck  he  had 
earned  by  envy  and  ill  temper  came  upon  him  again:  all 
that  the  mortar  turned  out  for  him  was  mouldy  and 
wormy;  so,  in  a  passion,  he  broke  it  into  pieces.  But  the 
old  man  gathered  up  the  fragments,  even  though  the 
wicked  one  had  burned  them,  and  proved  their  magic 
power  by  casting  them  against  the  trees  in  winter,  or 
against  trees  that  were  dead,  thus  causing  them  to  burst 
into  leaf  and  bloom.  This  new  wonder  brought  the  old 
man  into  favor  with  his  lord,  for  whom  he  restored  many 
trees,  and  who  rewarded  him  with  gifts  of  money  and 
silks,  to  the  renewed  anguish  of  his  neighbor.  The  bad 
one,  thinking  to  commend  himself  equally  to  the  nobleman, 
gathered  ashes  from  the  pine  and  tried  to  create  blossoms, 
but  their  virtue  had  passed,  or  his  hands  were  not  the 
hands  to  evoke  it;  moreover,  his  talent  for  bungling  led 
him  to  experiment  just  as  the  prince  was  passing,  when 
the  dust  blew  straight  into  the  eyes  of  the  nobleman.  He, 
thinking  himself  insulted  by  a  rude  or  careless  fellow, 
caused  the  envious  one  to  be  whipped. 

Pines  are  often  represented  in  Japanese  art,  and  one  of 
them,  a  sacred  tree  at  Lake  Biwa,  near  Tokio,  has  a  roof  to 
protect  it  from  the  elements.  It  is  ninety  feet  high,  has 
a  circumference  of  thirty-seven,  and  throws  its  three  hun- 
dred and  eighty  branches  to  an  extreme  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty-eight  feet.  These  limbs  sag  so  heavily  that  they 
require  support,  and  the  visitor  has  sometimes  to  stoop  in 
passing  through  their  green  aisles. 

220 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

PLANTAIN 

"We  have  two  varieties  of  this  weed:  one  with  rounded 
leaves,  bearing  a  single  spike  of  insignificant  blossoms  that, 
when  in  bud,  we  give  to  caged  birds;  the  other  with  a 
long,  ribbed,  sharper  leaf  and  taller  spear  of  flowers. 
The  first  we  call  bird  plantain;  the  second  Enghsh  plan- 
tain, though  it  is  as  thoroughly  domesticated  here  as  the 
house  sparrow  which  we  still  call  English.  Across  the 
water  this  latter  variety  is  known  as  ribwort,  and  also 
as  kemp — a  word  derived  from  the  Danish  kaempe,  or 
soldier,  which  use  of  the  word  seems  to  have  come  from  a 
sport  of  children  in  knocking  the  heads  from  these  stalks 
with  others  of  the  same  size,  held  in  the  hand,  turn  and 
turn  about.  Other  names  that  signify  its  uses  in  this 
contest  are  fighting  cocks,  soldiers,  devil 's  heads,  hard  heads, 
and  French-and-English. 

Because  the  bird  plantain  came  from  Europe  with  the 
early  settlers,  the  American  Indians  call  it  *'the  white 
man's  foot."  This  round-leaved  plantain  is  way-bread  in 
parts  of  England,  but  not  because  it  is  prized  as  food.  It 
loves  the  places  where  men  walk,  and  will  inhabit  there  by 
preference.  Once  in  seven  years  it  becomes  a  bird  and 
begins  its  search  for  cuckoos  on  the  wing,  that  it  may  serve 
them.  Its  fondness  for  cultivated  ground  evidently  gave 
rise  to  the  Indian  name,  and  the  sight  of  birds  rising  from 
it  after  feeding  was  occasion  for  the  fanciful  belief. 

POMEGRANATE 

Pomegranate,  a  symbol  of  hope  in  Christian  art,  is 
thought  by  some  scholars  of  antiquity  to  be  the  tree  of  life 
that  flourished  in  Eden.  In  Turkey,  when  a  bride  throws 
its  fruit  to  the  earth,  the  seeds  that  fall  out  will  indicate 

221 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  number  of  her  children,  the  significance  of  which  prac- 
tice was  emphasized  by  the  old  masters,  who  show  St. 
Catharine  holding  a  pomegranate,  as  tokening  the  fruitage 
of  the  faith.  Yet  this  was  a  fruit  of  hell  in  early  myth, 
because  through  eating  it  Proserpine  was  forced  to  return 
to  that  dismal  region  and  spend  a  half  of  every  year. 
Demeter,  or  Ceres,  goddess  of  the  earth,  and  mother  of 
Proserpine,  or  Persephone,  left  01;yTnpus  in  anger  when 
her  daughter  was  given  by  Zeus  to  Pluto,  god  of  hell,  for 
wife.  Ceres  came  to  earth  to  live  among  men,  blessing 
all  who  were  kind  to  her  and  cursing  all  who  were  not. 
So  often  did  she  visit  penalties  on  the  multitude  that  Zeus, 
realizing  his  over-haste,  determined  to  restore  more  pleas- 
ant relations  between  earth  and  heaven,  and  summoned 
Pluto  to  give  up  Proserpine.  Not  daring  to  disobey,  Pluto 
released  her,  but  just  as  she  was  leaving  he  urged  that  she 
eat  a  pomegranate  he  had  given  to  her,  and  in  yielding 
to  his  desire  she  gave  him  the  continued  hold  that  doomed 
her  to  forego  the  light  and  warmth  in  the  winter  months. 
This  conditional  release  did  much  for  the  human  race,  how- 
ever, because  Ceres  was  now  so  happy  in  her  daughter's 
company  that  she  was  kind  once  more. 

This  legend  has  been  variously  interpreted  as  a  season 
myth,  illustrating  the  release  of  the  earth  from  winter  dark- 
ness; as  a  moon  myth,  denoting  the  retirement  and  emer- 
gence of  the  heavenly  lamp;  as  a  symbol  of  immortality 
and  resurrection ;  and  as  a  token  of  nature 's  fertility,  Pros- 
erpine being  the  seed  that  is  dropped  into  the  darkness 
of  the  soil,  only  to  emerge  again,  brighter  than  before. 
But  the  pomegranate  signified  the  power  of  the  world  of 
darkness,  therein  becoming  a  type  of  all  fruits  that  ger- 
minate below  the  earth,  and  send  their  seed  back  to  it  in  the 
given  season.  This  faith  or  symbolry  of  the  Greeks  doubt- 
less travelled  to  the  east,  for  we  discover  it  in  the  Chinese 

222 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

idea  that  the  pomegranate  signifies  fertility.  Women  who 
wish  children  offer  this  fruit  to  the  goddess  of  mercy,  and 
the  porcelains  designed  for  her  temples  are  decorated  with 
its  pictures. 

The  original  pomegranate  was  claimed  by  Bacchus,  for 
it  had  been  a  nymph  of  his  affection  whom  he  changed  into 
the  tree,  and  whose  blossom  he  shaped  like  a  crown  in  order 
to  fulfil  the  prophecy  of  a  soothsayer  that  she  should  wear 
one.  Pomegranates  that  sprang  from  the  graves  of  King 
Eteocles  and  of  Menoeceus,  a  suicide,  proved  their  human 
relationship  by  exuding  blood. 

POPLAR 

Philologists  variously  account  for  the  name  poplar: 
that  it  means  populus,  because  the  Roman  populace  gath- 
ered about  it  for  public  meetings;  that  it  comes  from 
papeln,  meaning  to  babble,  for  its  leaves  are  always  chat- 
tering. The  groves  of  Academus  were  of  poplar,  and  the 
tree  was  sacred  to  Hercules  because  when  bitten  by  a  snake 
he  found  a  remedy  for  the  poison  in  poplar  leaves.  The 
Pillars  of  Hercules,  that  long  marked  the  seaward  bound 
of  the  Roman  empire,  were  erected  to  commemorate  that 
event.  Another  Greek  myth  says  that  when  Hercules  had 
brought  the  oxen  of  Geryon  from  their  places,  and  had 
killed  the  giant  Cacus,  he  wrenched  a  bough  from  a  near-by 
poplar,  such  as  grew  thickly  on  Mount  Aventinus,  and 
crowned  himself  in  token  of  his  victory.  His  next  labor  led 
him  into  hell,  where  the  smoke  and  fire  blackened  the  upper 
side  of  the  leaves,  while  the  under  sides  were  kept  cool  by 
the  sweat  of  his  brow,  and  since  that  time  the  poplar  leaf 
has  been  silver-lined. 

The  tree  is  also  related,  mythologically,  to  Phaeton,  who 
tried  to  drive  the  sun  chariot  of  his  father,  Apollo,  and  who, 

223 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

unable  to  control  his  horses,  swerved  up  and  down  and  from 
side  to  side  of  the  course,  now  burning  and  blistering  the 
fields,  anon  drying  up  the  Nile,  and  lastly  killing  so  many 
of  humankind  that  Zeus,  hearing  the  cry  of  the  people, 
unseated  the  incapable  driver  with  a  thunderbolt  that 
hurled  him  headlong  into  the  river  Eridanus.  Here  the 
Heliades,  his  sisters,  came  to  bewail  him,  and  as  their  tears 
fell  into  the  water  they  changed  to  golden  drops  which  we 
now  call  amber;  and  after  a  little  the  mourners  took  on 
the  form  of  the  trees  that  had  given  the  precious  gum: 
the  poplar. 

It  would  seem  that  spoons  are  no  recent  invention,  for 
Jupiter  suffered  a  loss  of  some,  and,  having  reason  to 
believe  that  they  had  fallen  into  or  been  hidden  in  a  tree, 
he  bade  Ganymede  seek  them  through  the  wood.  The  mes- 
senger first  asked  of  the  oak.  Stirring  with  wrath,  the  big 
tree  answered,  ' '  What  know  I  of  spoons  ?  I  have  leaves  of 
emerald  and  a  thousand  silver  cups.  I  am  king  of  trees, 
and  no  thief.*' 

Ganymede  asked  pardon  and  moved  on  to  the  birch. 
*  *  I  have  silver  of  my  own, ' '  she  answered.  * '  I  am  sheathed 
in  it.     I  have  no  need  of  other. ' ' 

Again  the  gods'  cup-bearer  begged  forgiveness  and  re- 
sumed his  search.  The  beach  scattered  its  prickly  nut- 
sheaths  over  him;  the  elm  swung  down  its  branches  till 
they  threatened  to  crush  his  head ;  the  fir  was  shaken  as  by 
a  storm,  and  hurled  cones  at  him  in  a  volley.  So  the  ques- 
tioner came  to  the  poplar.  **  Why  should  I  be  charged  with 
keeping  the  goods  of  Zeus?'*  it  asked.  ''See,  there  is  noth- 
ing concealed  upon  me.*'  And  forthwith  it  tossed  up  its 
limbs — for  they  grew  low  then — intending  to  show  that 
nothing  was  hidden  beneath  them ;  but  the  spoons  had  not 
been  securely  stowed,  and  as  the  wooden  arms  lifted,  down 
fell  the  plunder  in  a  tinkling  shower  and  lay  on  the  earth 

224 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

as  white  as  the  leaves,  which  now  showed  a  deathly  pallor 
on  their  under  side.  Ganjonede  picked  up  the  stolen  silver 
and  hastened  back  to  Olympus,  leaving  the  poplar  trem- 
bling with  apprehension.  For  its  theft  and  its  falsehood, 
Zeus  condemned  it  to  hold  up  its  arms  forever. 

All  over  the  world  we  find  a  religious  expression  of  the 
idea  that  success  or  salvation  is  to  be  gained  only  through 
pain.  The  early  Christian  traditions  extended  the  pain 
beyond  the  victim,  making  it  shared  by  inanimate  nature ; 
by  the  flowers ;  and  especially  by  the  poplar,  for  out  of  its 
wood  the  cross  was  made,  according  to  one  version,  and 
for  that  reason  it  has  never  ceased  to  shudder  for  the  part 
it  played  in  the  great  tragedy.  Some  say  that  Christ  Him- 
self had  to  fashion  the  cross  from  poplar  trunks,  for  which 
reason  the  Latins  hold  it  sacred,  and  not  a  few  of  the 
French  Canadians  refuse  to  cut  "popple"  in  our  lumber 
camps.  Its  trembling  began  at  the  moment  when  the  sacred 
blood  was  poured  upon  its  wood.  But  another  reason  for 
this  motion  is  that  it  marks  its  wrath  when  Judas  chose 
to  hang  himself  upon  it  after  his  treachery  had  become 
known.  It  is  also  said  that  when  Joseph  and  Mary  were 
flying  from  the  cruelties  of  Herod  they  passed  through  a 
grove  of  poplars.  All  other  trees  had  bent  as  the  holy 
family  went  by,  but  the  poplar  held  itself  aloof  and  would 
not  move  its  head.  The  infant  Jesus  gave  one  look  at  the 
stubborn  tree,  whereon,  struck  with  remorse,  it  began  to 
tremble,  and  has  never  ceased  to  do  so. 


POPPY 

Every  one  knows  this  brilliant  flower  that  sparkles 

amid  the  grain-fields  of  the  old  world,  where  it  is  regarded 

as  the  blossom  of  a  weed  and  of  evil  omen,  for  its  color 

hints  at  blood.     It  became  the  symbol  of  death  when  the 

15  225 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

son  of  Tarquinius  Superbus  asked  him  what  should  be  done 
with  the  people  of  a  conquered  city.  Tarquin  made  no 
verbal  reply,  but,  going  into  the  garden,  he  slashed  off  the 
heads  of  the  largest  poppies,  therein  commending  the 
massacre  of  the  best  and  most  influential  citizens.  When 
Persephone  was  stolen  by  Pluto,  her  mother,  Ceres,  began 
a  search  for  her  that  led  through  all  Sicily,  climbing  ^tna 
to  light  torches  that  she  might  keep  on  her  journey  through 
the  night.  Unable  to  restore  her  child,  the  gods  caused 
poppies  to  spring  about  her  feet,  and,  curious  as  to  their 
meaning,  she  knelt  to  look  at  them  closely.  She  inhaled 
their  bitter,  drowsy  breath,  and  put  the  seeds  into  her 
mouth,  and  presently  the  plant  bestowed  upon  her  that  rest 
which  her  weary  body  needed.  Poppies  were  offered  to  the 
dead,  therefore,  with  a  fine  symbolism,  since  they  signify 
sleep.  The  Saxon  name  for  the  plant,  popig,  is  said  to  have 
reference  to  the  mixing  of  its  seeds  with  pap  administered 
to  children  in  order  to  make  them  sleep:  and  as  opium  is 
yielded  by  the  flower,  we  have  the  origin  of  those  soothing 
syrups  that  are  still  administered  to  the  helpless.  Growing, 
as  it  did,  in  corn,  it  was  dedicated  to  Ceres  by  the  ancients, 
who  painted  her  picture  with  wheat  ears  and  poppies  in 
her  hair ;  but  it  also  belonged  to  Venus  Genet rix,  because  the 
number  of  its  seeds  instanced  fertility.  One  of  its  queer 
names,  ** cracking  rose,''  recalls  a  practice  of  striking  a 
poppy  petal  between  the  hands  in  order  to  ascertain  whether 
or  no  a  lover  is  faithful.  If  it  breaks,  it  signifies  that  he 
is  not  true,  but  if  it  holds  together  and  makes  a  consider- 
able report,  it  is  a  cause  for  rejoicing. 

It  is  said  that  after  the  battle  of  Neerwinden  the  fields 
were  covered  with  scarlet  poppies,  which  the  people  looked 
upon  as  the  spilled  blood  of  twenty  thousand  soldiers,  and 
a  sign  of  heaven's  anger  at  the  evil  deeds  of  men.  In  the 
east,  too,  where  the  flower  has  the  name  of  little  dawn, 

S26 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  plains  and  vales  that  armed  hosts  have  struggled  to 
possess  are  still  splashed  with  these  flowers,  ''blooming  in 
barbaric  splendor,  gloating  on  the  gore  of  soldiers  slain.*' 
And  if  the  Neerwinden  story  seems  too  modern  for  accept- 
ance as  folk-lore,  we  have  a  still  newer  instance,  arising 
from  our  wars  with  the  Indians  in  the  west.  After  the 
massacre  of  Custer  and  his  men  by  the  Sioux  the  Indians 
alleged  the  appearance  on  the  battle-field  of  a  new  flower 
which  they  called  Custer's  heart.  It  had  long,  hard  leaves, 
curved  like  a  cavalry  sabre,  and  so  sharp  as  to  cut  the  hand 
that  tried  to  tear  them  from  the  ground.  The  plant  sprang 
from  the  blood  of  the  slain  fighters  on  that  day  in  1876. 

The  red  poppy  is  not  native  to  America,  but  the  lovely 
escholzia  is — the  representative  of  the  species  which  has 
been  chosen  as  the  State  flower  of  California,  where  it 
lights  the  mountains  as  if  revealing  the  gold  hid  in  their 
ledges.  The  yellow  poppy,  or  corn  poppy,  of  Europe  is 
a  shore  plant,  and  recalls  in  its  other  name,  glauciere  jaune, 
Glaucus,  son  of  Neptune  and  a  sea  nymph,  who  elected  to 
live  on  land.  Still,  he  was  fond  of  fishing,  and,  having 
made  a  good  catch  on  a  certain  occasion,  he  was  astonished 
to  see  the  fish  wriggle  into  the  herbage  and  eat  of  it  vora- 
ciously, with  the  result  that  they  obtained  strength  to  leap 
back  into  the  sea.  Determined  to  know  the  virtue  of  this 
diet,  Glaucus  bent  and  nibbled  at  a  few  of  the  grasses  and 
poppies,  whereupon  he  felt  himself  so  impetuously  drawn 
to  the  ocean  that  he  leaped  in  and  never  came  back  to  the 
shore. 

Among  the  gorgeous  new  strains  that  gardeners  have 
created  in  the  poppy  family  sundry  show  a  cross  shape  of 
the  pistil,  which  recalls  the  old  Christian  tradition  that  holy 
blood  stains  the  flower;  but  an  English  legend  causes  the 
poppy  to  appear  from  the  blood  of  a  dragon  slain  by  the 
holy  maid  Margaret. 

227 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

PRIMROSE 

Our  evening  primrose,  Oenothera  lamarcMana,  now  do- 
mesticated in  Europe,  has  modified  the  theory  of  evolution 
by  showing  that,  in  its  own  case,  at  all  events,  the  mutations 
which  are  starting  points  for  new  species  are  sudden  appear- 
ances ;  not,  of  need,  monstrosities,  but,  say,  the  development 
of  smooth  leaves  from  serrate,  low  stalks  from  high;  and 
experiment  proves  these  mutations  to  be  steadfast  in  the 
progeny.  These  facts  are  known  as  the  result  of  studies  by 
Professor  Hugo  de  Vries,  of  Amsterdam,  who  did  not  arti- 
ficially fertilize  the  plants,  as  professional  growers  do,  but 
merely  planted  the  seed  and  watched  for  results.  In  fifteen 
thousand  specimens  he  found  ten  aberrants,  and  after 
four  generations  he  discovered  seven  different  types,  the 
seven  numbering  three  hundred  and  thirty-four  mutants. 

A  less  recent  interest  in  the  primrose,  and  of  another 
type,  was  created  by  Lord  Beaconsfield,  when  he  adopted  it 
as  his  flower,  just  as  Napoleon  took  the  violet  for  his  own ; 
hence  ''Primrose  Day"  is  a  new  feast  in  the  calendar,  and 
one  about  which  myths  are  as  likely  to  grow  in  future  as 
we  know  them  to  have  originated  in  the  past  from  events  of 
equal  unimportance.  Among  the  little  ushers  of  the  spring, 
the  primrose  keeps  its  popularity  in  cities  where,  indeed,  the 
flowers  peddled  in  the  shops  are  one  of  the  few  signs  of 
the  advancing  season.  It  is  no  rose,  to  be  sure,  any  more 
than  is  the  evening  primrose,  but  is  so  named  through  a 
twisting  of  the  Italian  jiore  de  prima  vera  (first  flower  of 
spring).  Early  Englishmen  came  nearer  to  the  Italian 
name  in  their  primerole.  Though  accounted  as  one  of 
the  most  harmless  of  plants,  we  are  told  that  the  pretty 
variety,  primula  ohconica,  sold  so  largely  from  American 
greenhouses,  utters  a  poisonous  exhalation,  causing  head- 
ache, and  rash  on  the  hands  and  face.    How  it  may  be  with 

228 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

till  the  earth  was  covered  with  water,  and  most  of  it  never 
dried  away,  but  is  what  we  call  the  ocean./  Which  is  a 
strange  version  of  the  universal  deluge  legend.  Possibly 
this  momentary  importance  of  the  pumpkin  is  denoted  in 
the  respect  that  is  still  paid  to  it  by  the  Chinese,  who  call 
it  the  emperor  of  the  garden  and  a  symbol  of  fruitfulness, 
health,  and  gain. 

RADISH 

If  you  will  wear  a  crown  of  blue  flowering  radish,  called 
in  Germany  hederich,  you  can  go  about  your  emplojonents 
in  peace,  for  no  witch  or  wizard  will  be  able  to  spoil  your 
day  by  the  cast  of  a  spell  or  the  glare  of  an  evil  eye. 

Here  in  prosy  America  the  radish  seems  never  to  have 
had  its  due  as  a  symbol  or  a  poem;  it  is  merely  a  hors 
d'oeuvre,  to  be  nibbled  between  the  entree  and  the  roast. 
But  in  imaginative  Germany  it  has  inspired  legends,  one  of 
the  oldest  being  that  of  Rubezahl,  who  is  the  soul  of  a  rad- 
ish, a  harsh,  peppery,  odious  creature.  He  steals  a  princess 
and  shuts  her  in  his  castle,  so  she  can  not  avoid  listening 
to  his  protestations  of  love.  She  begs  him  to  solace  her 
loneliness  with  other  company,  so  he  touches  a  number  of 
radishes,  which  instantly  take  on  human  form,  but  which 
can  keep  it  only  so  long  as  a  radish  can  keep  its  leaves. 
When  these  companions  fade,  she  begs  others;  so,  to  show 
his  power,  Rubezahl  changes  another  radish  to  a  bee,  and 
the  princess,  whispering  her  plight  into  its  ear,  sends  it  off 
to  seek  her  human  lover  in  the  great  world.  The  bee  does 
not  return.  Another  radish  becomes  a  cricket,  and  that  also 
is  pushed  out  of  window  with  a  message  to  her  lover.  It 
never  returns.  Still  pestered  by  the  attentions  of  Rube- 
zahl, the  princess  beseeches  him  to  count  the  radishes  he 
has  left  with  her,  and  he  begins  to  do  so,  whereupon  the 
girl,  seizing  his  wand,  changes  one  of  the  radishes  into  a 
horse  and  gallops  off  on  it  to  meet  her  lover. 

230 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

others  I  do  not  know,  but  this  variety  affects  me  no  more 
than  does  any  other,  when  it  is  kept  indoors,  on  tables  and 
windowsills. 

Wherever  English  people  are,  the  primrose  is  especially 
prized.  Hulme  tells  of  one  exhibited  in  Melbourne,  Aus- 
tralia, to  no  less  than  three  thousand  people,  including 
rough  miners  and  bushmen,  who  had  heard  of  its  arrival 
from  their  old  home.  They  would  have  taken  it  amiss  had 
they  been  accused  of  sentiment.  It  has  been  deeply  senti- 
mental in  its  origin,  for  it  was  a  human  creature  once: 
Paralisos,  son  of  Flora  and  Priapus.  Having  died  of  heart- 
break for  loss  of  his  sweetheart,  he  was  changed  by  the  gods 
into  this  rustic  and  cheerful  blossom. 

PUMPKIN 

A  sage  in  India,  whose  name  was  laia,  was  so  rapt  in 
thingsi  not  of  this  earth  that  when  his  only  son  fell  ill  and 
died,  he  could  not,  for  his  life,  imagine  what  to  do.  After 
some  days,  conceiving  that  it  would  be  well  to  remove  the 
body,  he  inclosed  it  in  the  largest  pumpkin  he  could  find 
and  carried  it  to  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  not  far  away. 
Happening  to  visit  this  region  later,  he  opened  the  pump- 
kin, and  was  startled  when  a  volley  of  fish  was  discharged 
from  the  vegetable,  also  a  few  whales.  Although  these 
creatures  fell  to  the  ground,  so  much  water  ran  from  the 
pumpkin  that  they  were  able  to  wriggle  away  in  the  cur- 
rent. In  some  astonishment,  the  wise  one  reported  this 
phenomenon  to  the  people  on  the  plains,  and  four  brothers 
hurried  to  the  hills  to  catch  the  fish  for  food.  laia  pursued, 
for  he  was  fearful  lest  they  harm  the  pumpkin,  but  they 
reached  it  first,  and  lifted  it,  but,  seeing  him  on  the  road, 
dropped  it  again,  breaking  it  in  half  a  dozen  places.  From 
each  of  these  fissures  flowed  a  river  that  swelled  and  swelled 

229 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

RAGWEED 

If  ever  you  are  in  that  wild  part  of  Cornwall  where 
Castle  Peak  lords  it  bver  the  moors,  a  new  experience 
awaits  you,  if  you  dare  to  stay  out  late.  Choose  some 
night  when  a  harsh  wind  is  blowing,  and  clouds  are  skurry- 
ing  across  the  moon :  then  you  shall  see  gray,  misty  figures 
stealing  over  the  heath.  They  are  witches,  gathering  rag- 
weed. When  they  have  picked  a  bunch  of  strong  stems 
the  hags  bestride  them  and  off  they  go,  flying  faster  than 
the  clouds  and  mixing  with  them  as  the  ride  goes  forward 
to  Castle  Peak.  If  you  follow,  you  shall  see  them  gathered 
at  its  top,  dancing,  mingling  in  obscene  worship,  or  brew- 
ing poisons  and  compounding  spells  that  are  to  bring 
death,  illness,  poverty,  wreck,  and  devastation  to  their 
neighbors.  Clutch  your  rosary  tight,  that  night,  m^  wear 
your  crown  of  radish  flowers,  for  if  you  are  seen  spying  on 
this  company  it  will  go  hard  with  you. 

RESURRECTION  PLANT 

Now  and  then  will  be  found  in  city  shops,  or  in  the 
packs  of  those  who  hawk  merchandise  through  the  town,  a 
dried  plant  which  is  offered  for  sale  as  the  **  resurrection 
plant. ' '  It  covers  the  space  of  a  hand,  and,  placed  in  water, 
its  infolded  leaves  relax  and  discover  a  certain  symmetry. 
Often,  too,  the  wetting  restores  a  semblance  of  life.  This 
anastatica  hierocJiuntica,  or  holy  resurrection  flower,  is  also 
called  the  rose  of  Jericho,  rosa  Hyrici,  Mary  *s  hand,  and  our 
lady's  rose;  yet  it  is  not  a  rose,  and  in  nowise  resembles 
one.  It  grows  in  the  desert,  where  it  is  said  that  the  winds 
frequently  uproot  it,  since  it  can  have  no  deep  hold  on  the 
sand.  It  requires  faith  to  accept  the  further  allegation 
that  wherever  it  chances  to  stop  it  sends  down  a  root  and 
continues  its  interrupted  growth  till  the  next  high  wind. 

231 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

The  early  Christian  church  dedicated  the  plant  to  the  Vir- 
gin, and  in  the  east  and  in  parts  of  Europe  it  is  prized 
by  women  who  believe  that  they  shall  become  mothers  of 
many.  Wherever  the  holy  family  paused  in  its  flight  to 
Egypt  this  plant  sprang  from  the  earth,  the  first  rising 
from  the  plain  of  Jericho  to  greet  the  infant  Saviour. 

ROSE 

Loved  by  the  world  and  loving  it,  the  rose  is  the  type 
of  beauty.  It  is  grown  and  worn  in  all  but  Arctic  lands 
and  the  equatorial  belt.  Its  essence,  the  fragrant  attar, 
carries  to  the  earth's  ends  a  memory  of  its  sweetness.  It 
has  been  the  symbol  of  faction,  the  symbol  of  peace,  the 
emblem  of  prospering  nations.  Its  part  in  history  is  still 
told  in  rites  and  tributes,  for  in  London  the  custom  holds 
of  laying  the  city  sword  on  a  bed  of  rose-leaves  on  Michael- 
mas day — a  memory  of  the  Wars  of  the  Roses.  The  rose 
figures  from  the  earliest  times  in  the  art,  the  poetry,  the 
traditions,  of  the  people,  and  has  its  place  in  the  legends 
of  the  saints.  It  is  with  a  rose  of  gold  that  the  Pope  re- 
quites service  to  the  faith.  It  is  a  rosary  by  which  piety 
still  numbers  its  prayers  and  aves.  The  rose  blooms  in 
precious  stones,  among  the  treasures  of  kings  and  princes 
of  the  church;  it  flowers  on  storied  windows;  it  glorifies 
tapestries  and  vestments,  silks  and  canvases,  even  as  it 
blows  in  gardens.  From  the  earliest  speech,  it  has  figured 
in  poetry  and  song.  It  comes  from  China,  Japan,  Persia, 
Damascus,  Caucasus,  Provence,  Iceland;  it  borrows  the 
name  of  Sharon ;  we  have  the  Austrian  briar  and  the  double 
yellow  of  Constantinople;  we  pluck  the  banksia  of  Scot- 
land and  the  harsh  plant  of  the  Dead  Sea  border ;  we  have 
our  own  lovely  roses  that  will  not  leave  America,  for  they 
say  that  the  blooms  of  Virginia  die  if  they  are  transplanted. 

232 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

We  find  our  flower  conventionalized  in  objects  of  art  and 
even  on  the  reverse  of  our  coins,  for  Edward  III.  struck  the 
rose  nobles  in  1334;  Edward  IV.,  ''the  Rose  of  Rouen," 
continued  to  mint  them,  while  on  this  side  of  the  sea  we 
had  our  Rosa  Americana  in  pennies  and  ha'pence  before 
the  Revolution. 

In  Hindu  mythology  Vishnu  was  floating  on  the  water, 
to  allay  the  burn  of  noon,  when  a  lotus  beside  him  began 
to  open  its  petals.  When  it  had  completely  unfolded, 
Brahma  was  discovered  within,  cradled  in  its  silk.  The 
two  gods  discoursed  on  the  relative  merits  of  the  flowers. 
Brahma,  rising  from  the  lotus,  pointed  to  it  as  the  supreme 
expression  of  natural  beauty,  but  Vishnu  said,  "In  my 
paradise  is  a  blossom  a  thousandfold  more  lovely  and  sweet 
than  yours.  It  excels  all  other  flowers  in  perfume,  and  its 
whiteness  is  that  of  the  moon." 

Brahma  derided  this  claim,  adding,  *  *  If  you  prove  to  me 
that  you  speak  truth,  I  will  resign  my  place  in  the  trinity, 
and  you  shall  be  chief  god. ' ' 

As  Vishnu's  paradise  was  far  from  India,  the  two  gods 
called  to  them  the  serpent  of  infinity,  and  on  his  back  they 
travelled  out  into  space  till  Vishnu's  palace  revealed  itself. 
The  serpent  stopped  before  its  gates,  which  swung  open 
when  Vishnu  had  sounded  a  note  on  his  conch.  Brahma 
refused  all  refreshment,  so  eager  was  he  to  see  whether  his 
companion  could  fulfil  his  boast,  and  the  two  passed  through 
a  corridor  of  mother-of-pearl  to  a  court  where  was  a  tree 
that  bore  a  single  rose.  This  was  an  immense  flower,  white 
as  the  snows  of  the  Himalayas,  and  a  perfume  breathed 
from  it  like  the  incense  of  an  altar,  only  far  sweeter.  * '  The 
fairest  thing  in  heaven  or  earth, ' '  said  Vishnu.  But  a  still 
fairer  was  to  appear,  for  the  rose  opened  its  petals  widely, 
and  Lakshmi  stepped  forth.  ''I  am  sent  to  be  your  wife," 
she  said  submissively.    * '  Because  you  were  faithful  to  the 

233 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

rose,  the  rose  is  faithful  to  you."  Vishnu  took  her  in  his 
arms,  and  Brahma,  bowing  toward  the  ground,  exclaimed, 
*'It  is  as  you  have  said.  Vishnu  shall  be  chief  god  hence- 
forth, for  in  his  paradise  is  the  rose,  and  that  is  supreme 
above  all  flowers." 

The  humanization  of  the  rose  in  Lakshmi  suggests  the 
Roumanian  legend  of  the  rose-bush:  that  having  achieved 
the  utmost  of  beauty  whereof  a  plant  was  capable,  it  sur- 
passed itself  in  one  huge  bud,  which,  opening,  gave  birth 
to  a  handsome  prince.  The  young  man  grew  and  took  his 
part  in  the  affairs  of  men,  but  the  juices  of  the  rose  still 
mingled  in  his  blood,  and  he  yearned  for  the  tranquillity 
of  his  infancy.  The  knowledge  that  he  might  serve  men 
through  beauty,  whereas  in  war  and  rapine  he  lived  only 
for  harm,  eventually  led  him  back  to  the  scene  of  his  birth. 
Trandafir  (that  was  his  name)  stood  in  the  wood  alone  and 
said  to  the  trees,  **I  am  of  you.  Where  is  the  great  rose- 
bush that  bore  me?"  And  the  trees  answered  that  it  was 
dead.  Then  he  asked  of  the  birds,  but  all  declared  they 
could  not  remember  it — all  but  one :  the  nightingale.  **  The 
rose-tree  is  gone,"  he  sang,  **and  I  am  come  to  chant  a 
dirge  over  the  spot  where  it  stood.  It  was  a  noble  tree, 
and  it  had  a  prince  for  a  flower." 

* '  I  am  that  prince, ' '  answered  Trandafir.  * '  I  am  weary 
of  the  human  life.  I  wish  to  go  back  to  the  life  of  fra- 
grance and  serenity :  the  life  that  menaces  no  other  life,  and 
leaves  the  world  better  when  it  is  ended." 

Then  said  the  nightingale,  **May  it  be  as  you  wish,  O 
prince.  I  will  stay  till  I  have  sung  your  soul  back  into 
a  rose." 

With  a  sigh  of  content,  the  prince  cast  himself  upon  the 
earth  in  the  spot  where  he  had  been  bom,  and  at  nightfall 
the  bird  began  to  sing,  softly,  then  louder  and  more  sweetly. 
The  music  mingled  with  the  prince's  dreams  and  cast  out 

234 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

all  memory  of  the  world  of  men.  He  sank  into  the  moss 
more  deeply;  roots  began  to  extend  themselves  from  his 
limbs  and  penetrate  the  mold  in  all  directions;  his  eyes 
closed  to  the  earth,  lifting  only  to  the  sky;  and  at  dawn, 
behold,  a  rose-tree,  which  was  Trandafir. 

We  live  in  a  bleak,  material  age,  yet  we  can  be  thankful 
that  so  much  of  its  ancient  romance  lingers  in  our  flower. 
Can  you  be  a  Saxon  peasant  long  enough,  in  your  imagina- 
tion, to  conceive  the  sincerity  of  his  belief  that  when  a  little 
child  dies  those  who  are  watching  at  the  window  can  see  the 
shadowy  form  of  Death  steal  from  the  house,  enter  the  gar- 
den, and  there  pick  a  flower?  Or,  can  you  regard  with 
more  than  adult  lenity  for  the  conceits  of  the  children  of 
our  race,  that  belief  of  the  Scandinavians  that  the  rose 
was  under  protection  of  fairies  and  dwarfs,  whose  king  was 
Laurin,  lord  of  the  rose  garden?  This  inclosure  had  four 
gates,  and  should  one  intrude  after  the  gates  were  closed, 
woe  was  his  portion,  while  the  daring  thief  who  plucked 
a  flower  was  to  lose  a  hand  or  foot. 

The  medicinal  use  of  roses  goes  as  far  back  as  the  known 
history  of  the  plant.  Milto,  a  maid  who  gave  a  daily  offer- 
ing of  flowers  to  Venus,  was  not  forgotten  by  that  goddess 
in  a  time  of  need,  for  when  her  beauty  was  threatened  by  a 
tumor  on  the  chin,  Venus  appeared  to  her  in  a  dream  and 
bade  her  apply  roses  from  her  altar  to  the  swelling.  The 
cure  was  so  effective  that  when  King  Cyrus  saw  her  he  was 
smitten  by  her  beauty  and  obtained  her  as  a  wife.  Accord- 
ing to  Pliny,  the  rose,  in  his  day,  formed  not  only  a  part 
of  perfumes  and  ointments,  but  of  physic,  entering  into 
*'emplastres  and  collyries  or  eye-salves.''  He  gives  thirty- 
two  remedies  compounded  of  its  leaves  and  petals,  and  we 
have  his  prescription  for  making  rose  wine.  It  was  alleged 
that  the  drinking  of  rose  wine  and  sleeping  on  pillows  of 
rose-leaves  allayed  nervousness,  as  all  fragrance  is  likely 

235 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

to  do,  but  we  are  also  told  how  Heliogabalus,  having  sick- 
ened from  bathing  in  rose  wine,  eating  overmuch  of  rose 
salads  and  conserves,  and  lolling  on  rose-couches,  was  re- 
stored to  health  with  a  "rose  draft,"  thereby  discovering 
homoeopathy  to  a  waiting  world. 

They  had,  in  tjie  old  days,  rose  water,  rose  ointment, 
rose  conserve,  sugar  of  roses,  roses  kept  in  wax,  rose  essence 
to  burn  on  coals,  rose  sauce,  rose  cream,  rose  tinctures,  pas- 
tels, pastes,  syrups,  lozenges,  and  cordials.  The  flower 
was  served  at  table,  either  as  cress  and  parsley  are  used 
to-day,  as  a  garnish,  or  as  a  salad,  for  the  leaves  were 
sprinkled  on  meats,  and  the  juice  expressed  to  savor  certain 
dishes — a  proceeding  that  "gave  no  harm,  but  gave  a  com- 
mendable taste  thereto."  Gourmets  used  quince  preserves 
flavored  with  rose  as  a  quip  to  their  meat;  there  was  rose 
vinegar,  made  of  sour  wine  in  which  flowers  had  been 
macerated;  there  were  rose  soufflees  for  the  ladies,  if  any 
were  too  delicate  to  drink  the  rose  liqueur,  and  at  this  day 
rose  fritters  are  served  by  the  Chinese  on  their  new  year. 

Science  has  tried  to  make  of  this  flower  something  other 
than  the  rose,  but  always  with  indifferent  success.  It  is 
almost  a  fixed  principle  in  botany  that  blossoms  showing 
two  of  the  primary  colors  will  not  enlarge  into  the  third. 
Thus,  asters  are  red  and  blue,  but  never  yellow ;  chrysanthe- 
mums are  red  and  yellow,  but  never  blue ;  pansies  are  never 
red ;  lilies  are  never  blue ;  so  with  carnations ;  and  the  blue 
rose  has  been  sought,  yet  never  realized,  in  spite  of  occa- 
sional rumors  from  London  and  Persia.  Yellow  may  be 
changed  by  the  expert  horticulturist  into  red  or  white, 
as  in  some  strains  of  the  chrysanthemum,  or  pink  into  yel- 
low, as  in  certain  carnations ;  blue,  also,  will  pass  into  pur- 
ple and  red,  but  not  into  yellow;  and  as  there  is  a  red 
and  a  yellow  rose,  there  will  be  no  blue  one.  Indeed,  one 
or  two  floriculturists  assert  that  there  is  no  true  white 

S36 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

rose ;  that  all  which  are  so  called  disclose  a  tinge  of  pink  or 
yellow  near  the  base  of  the  petal.  A  grower  in  Portland, 
Oregon,  who  has  succeeded  so  well  with  the  variety  known 
as  the  Marchioness  of  Londonderry  as  to  produce  a  bloom 
seven  inches  in  diameter,  calls  attention  to  this  quality,  for 
he  discovers  that  if  placed  beside  snow,  milky  quartz,  or 
any  other  object  of  absolute  white,  his  pet  blossom  shows 
a  tinge  of  yellow. 

Artificial  treatment  has  increased  the  varieties  of  this 
flower.  The  Greeks  knew  four  of  them,  and  they  still 
grow  in  the  Morea,  but  the  Crusaders  brought  other  species 
from  the  east,  the  damasks  of  Damascus  being  carried  by 
them  in  1100  a.d.,  to  Provence,  whence  they  flourished 
exceedingly,  as  they  did  in  all  the  western  lands.  We  are 
told  of  one  in  Caserta,  Italy,  that  clambered  to  the  top  of  a 
poplar  sixty  feet  high,  and  of  one  in  Toulouse  with  a  stem 
eleven  inches  thick,  that  bore  sixty  thousand  flowers  in  a 
summer.  Five  centuries  after  its  introduction  to  France 
the  rose  had  taken  on  a  score  of  forms ;  in  1800  there  were 
forty-six;  and  now  their  name  is  legion.  Taking,  not  the 
legend  maker's,  but  the  botanist's,  ascription,  the  flower 
was  born  in  Persia,  and  it  is  believed  to  have  been  intro- 
duced into  Europe  by  Alexander  the  Great. 

The  rose  is  brother,  sister,  and  cousin  to  a  score  of  valued 
herbs  and  trees :  to  the  apple,  pear,  raspberry,  strawberry, 
blackberry,  to  the  luscious  sweetbriar  that  we  sniff  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  on  a  summer  morning,  and  leave  unpicked, 
wildest,  shyest,  happiest  of  the  family ;  yet  valued  most  are 
the  stately  creatures  of  the  garden,  a  noble  company:  the 
Persian,  golden,  imperial ;  the  white,  for  brides,  for  children 
at  their  christenings,  for  maids  at  their  funerals ;  pink  for 
youth  and  modesty;  crimson  for  fulness  of  life,  for  splen- 
dor, for  wreaths  of  conquerors.  Mystic,  beautiful,  with  our 
faces  against  theirs,  we  drink  the  breath  of  the  earth  that 

237 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

has  turned  to  spirit ;  inhaling  their  fragrance,  we  taste  the 
air  of  paradise. 

One  of  the  prettiest  survivals  of  old-world  custom  is 
the  crowning  of  the  rose  queens.  She  of  Salency,  near 
Paris,  has  a  titular  descent  from  the  fifth  century,  the  first 
to  hold  the  office  being  the  sister  of  St.  Medard,  Bishop  of 
Noyon.  That  girl  succeeds  to  the  title  who  is  judged  to  be 
the  kindliest,  prettiest,  and  most  modest.  She  must  also 
have  a  respectable  parentage,  for  the  rose  queen  of  Salency 
is  practically  vouched  for  by  the  lord  of  the  district,  her 
name  is  proclaimed  from  the  pulpit  on  the  Sunday  after 
his  choice,  and  all  who  knew  of  any  impediment  to  her 
acceptance  of  the  honor  are  bidden  to  make  it  public.  On 
the  8th  of  June,  the  B osier e,  in  white,  attended  by  twelve 
girls  in  white  and  blue,  twelve  boys,  and  her  relatives,  goes 
to  the  castle,  where  the  Seigneur  receives  them  and  leads 
the  procession  to  the  church.  Vespers  being  sung,  the 
crown  of  flowers  is  blessed  and  placed  on  the  recipient's 
head,  while  a  purse  of  five  dollars  is  put  into  her  hand,  and 
the  Te  Deum  is  sung  after  another  march  through  the 
village.  The  names  of  all  the  Bosieres  are  carved  in  the 
chapel  of  St.  Medard,  but  a  few  have  been  effaced,  because 
the  girls  fell  from  grace  afterward.  The  coronation  seems 
to  have  been  associated  with  a  practice  in  rural  France  of 
giving  to  daughters  a  rose  crown  as  a  marriage  portion, 
except  where  there  were  no  sons  to  inherit  the  more  stable 
property. 

At  Toulouse  the  love  of  the  French  for  roses  was  also 
shown  in  the  award  of  one  of  these  flowers  for  the  best  poem 
offered  at  a  public  reading.  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  sent  to 
the  poet  Ronsard  (who  had  been  baptized  in  rose-water) 
a  silver  rose  worth  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  for 
his  festal  poem.  Indeed,  such  was  the  esteem  of  the  rose 
in  Europe  that  in  the  middle  ages  it  had  a  Sunday  of  its 

238 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

own:  for  then  it  had  become  the  Virgin's  flower,  Venus 
having  left  the  earth,  reluctant,  in  the  train  of  the  bright 
gods  of  Greece.  Hose  Sunday  perpetuated  the  tradition 
that  after  the  Virgin  ascended  to  heaven  roses  and  lilies 
were  found  to  have  filled  her  tomb.  And  it  is  odd  that  we 
should  find  the  revival  of  the  observance  in  our  matter- 
of-fact  United  States,  for  here  Rose  Sunday  is  celebrated 
every  year.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  ceremonies  attend- 
ant on  it  are  most  faithfully  followed  in  the  Universalist 
Church,  which  is  as  far  removed  as  possible  from  the 
Church  of  Rome.  It  is  a  pretty  observance,  when  babes  are 
brought  for  christening.  As  each  child  receives  its  name, 
it  takes  from  the  pastor's  hand  the  *'gift  of  the  rose,  a 
symbol  of  the  unfolding  of  the  beautiful  life." 

Though  not  a  moral  tale,  **The  Golden  Ass"  contains 
a  certain  symbolism  in  that  the  rose  becomes  the  means  of 
salvation.  Here  Apuleius  relates  the  transformation  of  a 
young  man  into  a  beast,  thereby  indicating  the  effect  of 
passion  in  degrading  the  human  subject  and  leading  him  to 
folly.  To  secure  his  redemption,  he  is  to  eat  a  rose,  and  his 
trials,  difficulties,  and  sufferings  while  seeking  this  remedy, 
form  the  substance  of  the  story.  At  last  the  rose  is  dis- 
covered in  the  hand  of  a  priest  of  Isis,  the  goddess  having 
revealed  herself  in  a  dream,  that  the  youth  might  know 
where  to  find  it.  On  eating  the  rose,  he  regains  his  human 
shape  and  becomes  a  priest  himself. 

It  may  be  no  occult  relation  which  the  rose  has  to  relig- 
ious history  and  practice.  The  use  of  the  rosary  is  one 
of  the  oldest  of  these  applications,  for  although  adapted  to 
the  uses  of  the  Roman  church  by  St.  Dominick,  beads  were 
used  for  "telling"  prayers  by  the  Mahometans,  also  by 
Egyptian  anchorites,  Chinese  Confucians,  and  Hindu  and 
Japanese  Buddhists,  long  before  the  birth  of  the  dominant 
religion  of  Europe  and  America.    Such  beads  were  often 

239 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

carved  into  a  rude  likeness  to  roses,  and  were  sometimes 
made  of  rose-petals  pressed  into  spheres.  The  fifteen  large 
beads  of  the  chain  represent  pater-nosters,  and  the  one 
hundred  and  fifty  small  ones  stand  for  Ave  Marias.  Buddh- 
ists use  a  chain  of  one  hundred  and  eight  beads,  for  they 
have  one  hundred  and  eight  sins.  The  word  bead,  or  bede, 
by  the  by,  means  prayer.  This  rosary,  or  rosenkrantz,  is 
prefigured  in  pictures,  statuary,  and  decorations  as  a 
wreath  or  garland  of  roses,  sometimes  placed  on  the  head, 
as  a  mark  of  respect,  sometimes  worn  in  token  of  a  festival 
spirit  and  social  gaiety.  Just  when  the  flowers  were  given 
over  for  their  conventional  representations  we  do  not  know, 
although  in  the  thirteenth  century  London  had  mechanics 
known  as  paternosters,  whose  work  was  the  turning,  pierc- 
ing, and  mounting  of  beads  for  devotional  purposes.  These 
men  lived  and  worked  in  Paternoster  Lane,  close  to  St. 
Paul's.  Yet  the  prayer  beads  were  older  than  the  pater- 
nosters, for  Lady  Godiva,  she  of  the  famous  ride  through 
Coventry,  bequeathed  her  circlet  of  gems,  by  which  she  had 
often  *'told"  her  prayers,  to  the  monastery  she  had 
founded. 

The  Christian  legend  of  the  rosary  is  this:  A  young 
man  who,  in  his  free  days,  had  twined  a  wreath  of  roses 
every  morning  to  crown  a  statue  of  the  Virgin,  became  a 
monk,  and  the  tasks  put  upon  him  in  the  convent  often  left 
him  no  time  for  this  pleasant  practice.  He  asked  an  aged 
brother  what  he  would  advise  as  a  substitute  for  the  offer- 
ing, explaining  that  even  as  he  had  suffered  the  prick  of 
thorns  in  gathering  the  flowers,  for  the  Virgin's  sake,  so 
his  conscience  rankled  now.  He  was  told  to  say  his  Aves 
in  great  number  every  evening,  for  prayers  were  as  accept- 
able as  flowers  in  heaven.  Once  in  a  dark  wood  where  he 
had  stopped  to  pray,  a  band  of  robbers  overheard  him, 
for,  quite  unknown  to  himself,  he  had  paused  near  their 

240 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

camp.  When  the  fervent  tones  of  prayer  reached  their 
ears,  they  stole  softly  through  the  brush  and  stood  watching 
him  from  the  shadows.  As  he  prayed  a  light  slowly  issued 
from  the  earth  and  enveloped  him  as  a  luminous  mist;  it 
hovered  about  his  head ;  it  increased  and  took  on  form,  that 
of  an  august  and  beautiful  woman.  This  shape  he  did  not 
see,  any  more  than  he  had  seen  the  bandits ;  but  the  woman, 
bending  down,  placed  her  hand  at  his  lips  and  drew  from 
them  fifty  splendid  roses,  for  his  words  had  taken  form  as 
flowers,  and  binding  them  into  a  shining  chaplet  she  placed 
them  on  his  down-bent  head.  The  robbers,  startled  and  im- 
pressed, joined  their  prayers  to  his,  asking  forgiveness  for 
their  evil  life  and  promising  to  amend  it  forthwith.  Indeed, 
they  presently  became  inmates  of  the  same  monastery  as 
the  man  who  had  been  the  unconscious  instrument  in  their 
conversion. 

Roses  are  often  pictured  on  the  brows  and  in  the  hands 
of  saints  who  suffered  martyrdom  for  the  church,  and  it 
is  recorded  of  St.  Vincent  that  the  bed  on  which  he  died 
was  formed  of  them.  He  had  borne  serenely  the  tortures 
whereto  he  had  been  condemned,  so  Diocletian's  proconsul 
resolved  on  other  measures.  '^ Release  him,"  he  com- 
manded, ''and  let  us  see  what  effect  luxury  will  have  on 
his  stubborn  nature.  Let  his  friends  come  to  him,  give 
him  wine  and  food  in  plenty  and  of  good  quality.  If  he 
keeps  his  stern  views  of  duty  and  doctrine  after  that,  we 
may  try  the  torture  again. ' '  So  the  saint  was  taken  from 
the  rack,  and  as  a  first  indication  of  his  new  and  worldly 
life  he  was  laid  on  the  couch  of  flowers ;  but  though  he  had 
made  no  outcry  he  was  too  far  spent  with  suffering  to  know 
or  care  on  what  manner  of  bed  they  placed  him,  and  so, 
on  petals  red  as  the  blood  he  had  lost,  he  sighed  away  his 
life. 

The  rose  is  the  ''attribute"  of  St.  Rosa  of  Viterbo, 
16  241 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

famous  for  charity  and  austerity  in  the  thirteenth  century, 
and  of  St.  Rosalia  of  Palermo.  The  latter,  whose  statue 
stands  before  the  cave  on  Monte  Pellegrino,  where  she  lived, 
— high  above  the  world,  alone,  at  almost  constant  prayer, — 
began  her  life  as  a  recluse  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and  died 
in  her  hiding  place,  unknown  to  her  former  friends.  When 
her  body  was  found  it  was  uncorrupted,  although  she  had 
been  dead  for  days,  and  on  her  head  was  a  crown  of  roses 
of  such  size  and  splendor  that  they  could  have  come  only 
from  the  gardens  of  heaven. 

In  the  annual  feast  of  the  Madonna  of  the  Snows,  which 
is  celebrated  in  the  Borghese  chapel,  showers  of  white 
rose-leaves  are  thrown  from  holes  in  the  ceiling,  **like  a 
leafy  mist  between  the  priests  and  worshippers.'*  This  is 
to  commemorate  the  appearance  of  the  Virgin  in  a  fall  of 
snow  on  Mount  Esquilin. 

The  early  Christians  held  our  flower  in  esteem,  Clement 
of  Alexandria  maintaining  that  it  should  be  used  only  in 
religious  functions,  for  Christ  had  worn  a  crown  of  thorns, 
and  the  rose,  by  wearing  thorns  also,  commended  itself  to 
holy  purposes.  It  is  a  curious  circumstance  that  in  a  few 
instances  the  flower  became  an  expression  of  a  wrong  action 
or  a  rejected  faith.  During  a  session  of  the  Christian 
synod  at  Nismes  in  1284  every  Jew  in  town  was  forced 
to  wear  a  rose  on  his  breast,  in  token  of  a  holiday  spirit  he 
did  not  feel,  while  in  Germany  it  had  to  be  worn  as  a 
punishment  for  immoral  conduct,  indicated  in  its  red  color 
and  its  thorn.  More  pleasing  was  the  custom  in  the  Enga- 
dine,  which  entitled  a  man  accused  of  crime,  but  acquitted 
on  the  same  day — impossible  expedition  in  the  law! — to 
receive  a  white  rose  as  a  token  of  innocence  from  the  hand 
of  the  prettiest  girl  in  the  village. 

Ceremonial  regard  goes  back  for  many  centuries,  for  the 
Romans  looked  on  the  secular  use  of  flowers  that  had  been 

24S 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

dedicated  to  the  gods  not  merely  as  in  bad  taste,  but  as 
sacrilegious;  indeed,  the  banker  Lucius  Fulvius  was  sent 
to  prison  for  sixteen  years  by  the  senate  for  appearing  in 
public  with  a  garland  of  sacred  roses  on  his  head,  while  P. 
Munatius  was  put  into  chains  for  stripping  the  roses  from 
a  statue  of  Marsyas.  These  acts  were  regarded  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Roman  church  would  view  the  stealing  of  flowers 
that  had  been  placed  on  the  altar  as  a  decoration  for  the 
mass. 

Gerarde — he  of  the  Great  Herball — declares  that  the 
rose  *'doth  preserve  the  chief  est  and  most  principal  place 
among  all  floures  whatsoever,  being  not  only  esteemed  for 
his  bountie,  vertues  and  his  fragrant  smell,  but  also  be- 
cause it  is  the  honour  and  ornament  of  our  English 
sceptre."  For  of  course  its  significance  in  Britain  is  de- 
rived from  the  wars  of  the  roses,  which  began  in  1450  with 
the  plucking  of  white  and  red  roses  in  the  Temple  garden, 
London,  as  badges  for  the  rival  houses  of  York  and  Lan- 
caster. These  flowers — worn  in  the  caps  of  the  contestants, 
or  pictured  in  broideries  and  illuminations  on  clothing, 
shields,  and  armor — marked  the  factions  in  a  civic  struggle 
that  lasted  for  thirty  years  and  cost  the  lives  of  one  hundred 
thousand  men.  When  the  war  ended,  with  the  marriage 
of  Henry  YIL,  of  the  Lancastrian  branch,  to  Elizabeth, 
Duchess  of  York,  a  rose  appeared  in  a  monastery  garden 
in  Wilts  that  bore  both  red  and  white  petals.  Until  then 
the  bush  had  borne  roses  of  red  on  some  of  its  branches  and 
of  white  on  others. 

In  one  legend  the  rose  was  created  by  Cybele  and  nour- 
ished by  the  nectar  of  the  gods.  In  another  it  had  its  origin 
in  the  carelessness  of  Cupid,  for  the  little  god,  hurrying 
to  a  council  of  the  deities  on  Olympus  with  a  vase  of  nectar, 
was  heedless  of  his  footing,  and,  stumbling,  spilled  the 
precious  liquor  on  the  earth.    It  bubbled  up  again  in  roses. 

243 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

The  rose  had  Zephyr  for  a  lover,  and  would  open  only 
at  his  caress.  Cupid,  having  kissed  it,  was  stung  on  the  lip 
by  a  bee  concealed  in  its  cup,  and  his  mother,  to  punish  the 
insect,  captured  so  many  bees  that  the  youngster  beaded 
them  along  his  bow  string  from  end  to  end,  while  Venus, 
still  moved  by  anger,  planted  their  stings  along  the  stem 
of  the  flower  by  which  the  boy  had  got  his  hurt.  Yet  an- 
other Greek  tradition  relates  that  the  rose  grew  red  with 
shame  when  it  saw  that  it  had  pricked  the  foot  of  Venus 
as  she  chased  Adonis.  With  its  *' divine  oil'*  she  had 
covered  Hector's  body  after  his  death,  and  so  preserved  it. 
For  this  was  the  flower  of  Venus ;  hence  it  was  given  to  the 
diners  at  banquets  as  a  reminder  that  love  affairs,  told  when 
spirits  were  high  and  tongues  adventurous,  were  not  to  be 
babbled  over  the  cups,  or  under  other  circumstances  and  in 
other  places.  Hence  arose  the  use  of  the  rose  as  a  symbol 
of  secrecy,  and  in  time  the  giving  of  flowers  simplified  and 
conventionalized  into  the  hanging  of  one  blossom  over  the 
table,  whence  the  term,  *' under  the  rose."  There  is  an 
authority  who  says  that  the  phrase  ''imder  the  rose,"  as 
implying  secrecy,  dates  from  477  B.C.,  when  the  Spartans 
and  Athenians  were  intriguing  with  Xerxes  for  giving 
Greece  into  the  hands  of  that  emperor.  The  meeting  was 
held  in  a  bower  of  roses  near  the  temple  of  Minerva.  As 
the  plotting  was  carried  on  with  extreme  caution,  it  be- 
came a  custom  to  allude  to  that  and  similar  meetings  as 
held  *' under  the  rose,"  and  for  some  time  after,  the  long- 
locked  Athenians  would  wear  roses  in  their  hair  when  they 
wished  it  to  be  known  that  they  addressed  a  friend  or 
friends  in  confidence. 

In  one  of  their  early  legends,  the  Greeks  represent  the 
first  rose  as  a  maid  of  intellect,  pride,  and  beauty,  whose 
hand  had  been  sought  by  kings.  In  the  Homeric  days  men 
seem  to  have  made  love  by  platoons.     Rhodanthe  bade 

244 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

them  earn  her  favor  by  feats  of  arms,  then,  to  be  rid  of 
them,  she  entered  a  temple  of  Apollo  and  Diana,  hoping  to 
find  concealment  there.  But  her  lovers  were  unexpectedly 
prompt,  for  they  attacked  the  temple  itself.  Rhodanthe, 
hurrying  into  their  presence  with  a  cry  of  protest,  appeared 
in  such  a  glow  of  anger  that  her  beauty  was  heightened, 
and  the  lovers  cried  anew,  ''Let  her  be  a  god  and  replace 
Diana!"  Swept  from  her  feet  by  the  host  and  lifted  to 
the  pedestal  which  the  effigy  of  the  moon  goddess  had  occu- 
pied till  that  moment,  Rhodanthe  assumed  an  air  so  uncon- 
sciously commanding  that  Apollo,  looking  from  his  chariot, 
and  fierce  at  this  insult  to  his  sister,  shot  his  sun  arrows 
at  her  till  she  wilted  like  a  plant.  Her  feet  rooted  to  the 
stone,  her  arms  shrank  and  crooked  and  took  on  leaves, 
and  presently  her  charm  had  transformed  to  roses.  The 
only  relic  of  her  pride  was  the  thorn. 

Among  the  Romans  were  sybarites  who  slept  on  beds 
stuffed  with  rose  petals,  and  we  hear  of  one  afflicted  youth 
who  could  not  sleep  because  a  petal  had  been  crumpled. 
Veres  travelled  in  a  litter  canopied  with  a  net  of  these 
flowers,  so  that  their  odor  was  never  out  of  his  nostrils. 
In  the  rose  feasts  of  Nero,  that  luxurious  tyrant  is  pictured 
as  necklaced  and  crowned  with  flowers,  lying  on  pillows 
stuffed  with  petals,  which  were  also  strewn  over  the  floor, 
while  fountains  flung  up  rose-water.  He  spent  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  roses  at  a  single  supper. 
Wine  served  at  his  banquets  was  flavored  with  rose,  and 
among  the  desserts  was  usually  a  rose  pudding.  Before 
and  after  the  feasts  his  guests  were  free  to  bathe  in  marble- 
lined  pools,  and  the  water  was  perfumed  with  roses. 

Imagine  Rome  on  a  feast  day,  when  the  shrines  and 
triumphal  arches  were  garlanded  with  roses,  when  chariots 
were  gay  with  them,  when  senators  and  generals  did  not 
disdain  to  carry  bouquets  of  them  in  their  hands,  for  they 

245 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

had  been  given  as  tokens  of  admiration  by  the  populace. 
*' People  were  not  content  unless  roses  swam  in  theFalernian 
wine, '  *  according  to  one  authority,  for  their  petals  lent  their 
fragrance  to  the  drink.  At  the  Bale  regattas  and  water 
parties,  the  Lucrine  Sea  was  strewn  with  flowers.  It  fol- 
lows that  rose  culture  was  an  important  industry,  and  that 
the  output  on  some  of  the  rose  farms  exceeded  anything 
of  which  we  have  knowledge  in  America.  Cleopatra,  at 
her  banquet  to  Antony,  carpeted  her  hall  to  the  depth  of 
an  ell  with  roses.  Heliogabalus  bathed  and  even  swam  in 
rose  wine.  Such  was  the  attention  given  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  rose  in  gardens  that  Horace  laments  the  want  of 
room  for  useful  vegetables.  There  were  traders  who  dealt 
in  nothing  but  these  flowers,  and  gardeners  who  made  a 
specialty  of  grafting,  pruning,  budding,  fertilizing,  and 
smoking  them.  Children  were  accustomed  to  plant  a  rose 
on  the  day  when  their  parents  returned  from  a  long  jour- 
ney, and  the  soldier  would  plant  one  when  he  returned  from 
war.  It  was  usual  for  Romans  of  wealth  and  station  to 
provide  in  their  wills  for  the  planting  of  flowers  about  their 
tombs,  and  we  read  of  one  who  left  a  certain  sum  for  the 
planting  of  three  myrtles  and  three  roses  above  his  ashes 
on  each  anniversary  of  his  birth.  These  ashes  of  the  dead, 
after  incineration,  were  sprinkled  with  wine,  incense,  and 
rose-leaves  before  they  were  poured  into  the  urn,  and  on 
the  Rose  Feast  (May  23)  the  urns  were  decorated  by  sur- 
viving relatives.  According  to  Tacitus,  the  whole  battle- 
field of  Bedriacrun  was  strewn  with  laurels  and  roses,  and 
this  annual  feast  ended  with  a  banquet  at  which  each  par- 
ticipant received  roses,  which  he  placed  on  the  tombs  of 
those  he  most  revered.  At  all  the  banquets  of  the  rich 
these  blooms  were  freely  employed,  the  triclina  being  stuffed 
with  them,  others  being  scattered  over  the  floor,  and  the 
participants  sprinkled  with  sweet  waters.    We  hear  of 

246 


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fei' 

THE   THREE    GRACES    GARLANDING    A   STATUE    OF    HYMEN 

FROM  THE  PAINTING  BY  SIR  JOSHUA  REYNOLDS 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

caravans  despatched  with  roses  from  Milan  to  the  Emperor 
Carinus  in  the  year  281,  and  of  fleets  laden  with  them 
sailing  from  Alexandria  and  Carthage.  Portraits,  statues, 
and  tombs  were  festooned  with  these  flowers,  they  were 
flung  before  returning  troops  in  the  triumphs,  and  tossed 
into  the  chariots  of  the  generals.  So  common  was  the 
practice  of  strewing  roses  over  graves  that  the  cemetery  is 
still  called  *'the  rose  garden'^  in  parts  of  Switzerland, 
and  the  flower  is  sculptured  on  the  tombs  of  girls  in 
Turkey,  where  it  is  believed  that  the  rose  came  from 
Mahomet.  The  tradition  is  that  when  he  made  his  journey 
from  heaven  the  sweat  that  fell  from  his  forehead  bloomed 
from  the  earth  as  white  roses. 

Flowers  are  of  ancient  use  in  funerals,  and  lend  them- 
selves as  easily  to  them  as  to  weddings  and  christenings, 
softening  grief  and  cold  by  their  bright  color  and  glad 
odor.  Not  only  were  they  so  used  by  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  but  savages  strewed  them  on  the  biers  of  their 
dead.  In  Wessex  and  Cornwall  a  wreath,  denoting  purity, 
was  carried  before  a  girl's  body  to  the  grave,  by  some 
maid  of  her  age,  then  hung  over  the  seat  she  had  occupied 
in  church — white  roses.  The  red  rose,  per  contra,  was  for 
life — love — the  blood  of  broken  hearts,  or  hearts  that 
throbbed  with  happiness,  and  when  an  English  girl  died 
during  her  engagement  she  was  buried  with  red  roses  on 
her  breast. 

St.  Denis,  guardian  saint  of  France,  was  bewitched  in 
a  strange  and  lonely  land.  He  had  no  food  but  vegetables 
and  fruit,  for  not  a  creature  could  he  slay,  and  his  horse 
was  his  only  company.  Wandering,  he  knew  not  whither, 
he  found,  after  a  time,  a  tree  bearing  purple  berries,  and, 
being  hungry  and  thirsty,  he  fed  upon  them  eagerly.  It 
was  not  a  meal  to  increase  one's  bulk,  but,  after  a  little, 
his  head  grew  so  heavy  that  he  was  forced  to  drop  upon 

247 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

all  fours,  and,  coming  shortly  to  a  spring,  where  he  bent 
to  drink,  he  tried  to  cry  out,  being  so  moved  by  astonish- 
ment ;  but  only  a  snort  came  from  his  lips.  The  fruit  had 
completed  his  enchantment.  His  helmet  and  armor  had 
fallen  off,  showing  his  body  covered  with  hair,  horns 
branched  from  his  forehead,  his  eyes  were  large,  round, 
and  frightened:  he  was  a  deer.  Galloping  back  to  the 
tree  from  which  he  had  eaten,  he  fell  on  the  earth  and 
groaned  in  hopelessness.  Then,  to  his  surprise  and  com- 
fort, he  heard  an  answering  complaint.  "  I  am  Eglantine, 
the  king's  daughter,"  spoke  the  tree,  ** punished  for  my 
too  great  pride.  For  seven  years  I  must  wear  this  shape, 
and  for  as  long  a  time  you  must  keep  the  form  of  a  hart. 
But  there  will  grow  in  this  desert  a  purple  rose,  and  if 
you  eat  of  it  your  human  form  will  return  to  you,  and  you 
will  have  power  to  free  me.  Then  you  must  cut  this  tree 
and  put  me  at  liberty." 

Nothing  more  said  the  tree,  though  the  transformed 
knight  waited  and  listened,  and  almost  daily  returned  to 
visit  and  to  lie  beneath  its  branches.  At  the  end  of  the 
seven  years,  which  he  counted  with  great  impatience,  keep- 
ing company  with  his  horse,  a  deep  sleep  came  over  him, 
but  his  horse  did  not  share  it.  The  steed  rambled  away  to 
a  mountain  where  many  roses  bloomed,  and  among  them 
was  a  bush  of  purple  flowers.  A  branch  of  this  the  faithful 
creature  picked  and  carried  to  its  master.  St.  Denis, 
waking  and  seeing  the  flowers  beside  him,  was  filled  with 
joy,  and  he  eagerly  devoured  the  blossoms,  which  caused 
him  to  lapse  into  another  sleep.  In  the  morning  he  arose 
as  a  man,  and,  with  many  tokens  of  gratitude  to  his  horse, 
he  found  and  resumed  his  armor  and  rode  away  to  the 
tree  where  Eglantine  awaited  deliverance.  With  one  tre- 
mendous blow  of  his  sword  he  severed  the  trunk,  and  it 
fell  to  the  earth  in  a  fire  and  cloud  of  smoke.    As  the  air 

248 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

cleared,  he  saw  standing  before  him  a  beautiful  girl  with 
downcast  eyes.  ''I  do  not  know  whether  you  are  angel, 
fairy,  or  woman,"  he  said,  *'but  I  am  right  glad  to  set 
you  free  and  would  continue  to  serve  you,  if  I  might. '  * 

The  maiden  asked  only  that  he  would  take  her  to  her 
father's  palace,  where  she  was  doubtless  mourned  as  dead. 
Her  vanity  was  gone;  her  lesson  had  been  learned.  And 
as  she  had  some  memory  of  the  way,  they  crossed  the  wil- 
derness in  safety,  and  so  into  the  unenchanted  and  beautiful 
world  for  which  they  had  grieved  so  long.  In  time  they 
reached  the  palace,  where  great  welcome  was  given  to 
them  and  St.  Denis  received  high  honor.  Even  the  horse 
was  cared  for  with  lavish  hospitality.  The  rose  of  salva- 
tion was  then  named  Eglantine,  in  memory  of  the  princess. 

In  Persia  they  commemorate  with  a  feast  of  roses  an 
incident  in  the  life  of  Zoroaster,  or  Zarathustra.  The  in- 
fant sage  was  taken  from  his  people  by  the  king,  whose 
astrologers  had  warned  him  that  the  babe  would  be  a 
menace  to  him,  and  was  placed  on  a  pile  of  burning  logs. 
The  little  Zoroaster  did  not  even  wake,  for  the  brands 
became  flowers — a  bed  of  roses.  Those  flames  were  first 
caught  up  by  priests  and  have  been  transmitted  as  a  holy 
fire,  which  has  been  kept  alive  to  this  day,  and  give  rise 
to  the  name  of  fire-worshipper  as  applied  to  those  who 
accept  the  Zoroastrian  doctrine. 

It  is  in  Persia,  too,  that  the  bulbul,  or  nightingale,  be- 
gins to  sing  when  the  roses  blow,  for  so  the  bird  tells  his 
love  for  the  flower,  and  at  dawn,  overcome  by  weariness 
and  by  the  perfume,  he  falls  to  the  earth  beneath  the  bush. 
When  Allah  made  the  rose  queen  of  flowers,  instead  of  the 
white  and  sleepy  lotus,  the  impassioned  nightingale,  flying 
toward  the  perfume,  thrust  one  of  the  thorns  against  his 
breast,  and  so  spilling  his  blood  over  the  petals,  changed 
them  to  red;  and  even  now  the  Persian  tells  you  that  he 

249 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

presses  against  a  thorn  that  he  may  be  kept  awake  all 
night  to  worship  and  to  sing.  And  as  he  sings,  the  rose, 
responsive,  bursts  from  bud  to  bloom. 

From  this  land  of  Persia  we  have  the  attar,  or  oil  of  rose. 
It  is  told  how  the  favorite  sultana  of  Jehangir  prepared 
the  bath  for  her  lord  by  throwing  rose-leaves  into  the  water. 
A  little  shining  fluid  came  to  the  surface,  and,  fearing 
that  this  might  irritate  his  majesty,  she  had  the  pool 
skimmed  clear  of  it.  Such  a  fragrance  arose  from  the 
oil  that  the  idea  of  preserving  it  was  at  once  suggested. 
Avicenna,  the  Arabian  doctor,  conceived  the  idea  of  extract- 
ing this  substance  by  distillation,  and  even  now  in  some 
Persian  houses  the  guest  will  receive  an  asperge  of  it  as 
he  enters.    Avicenna 's  discovery  was  made  in  1187. 

Naturally,  the  rose  figures  in  oriental  poetry,  and  the 
Gulistan  (place  of  roses)  is  an  expression  of  the  national 
spirit,  of  love,  of  music  and  of  all  delights.  It  was 
reserved  for  two  western  poets,  however,  to  tell  the  Ro- 
mance of  the  Rose,  for  this  was  begun  in  the  thirteenth 
century  by  Guillaume  di  Lorris  and  continued  by  Jean  de 
Meung  in  the  fourteenth.  In  this  we  read — if  we  have 
patients  to  follow  a  matter  of  twenty  thousand  verses — 
how  Dame  Idleness  takes  the  poet  to  the  Palace  of  Pleasure 
and  gives  him  into  the  charge  of  Love,  Sweet-Looks,  Cour- 
tesy, Youth,  Joy,  and  Competence,  who  lead  him  to  a 
bank  of  roses.  He  chooses  one,  but  at  the  moment  Love 
with  an  arrow  stretches  him  helpless  on  the  earth.  Com- 
ing to  his  senses,  he  determines  to  regain  the  flower,  and 
in  a  symbolic  narrative  that  suggests  ''Pilgrim's  Progress,'' 
now  aided,  now  deterred,  by  Welcome,  Shyness,  Fear, 
Slander,  Reason,  Pity,  Jealousy,  and  Kindness,  he  finds 
the  object  of  his  search. 

Our  gracious  flower  sprang  in  the  footsteps  of  the  just, 
bloomed  on  their  graves  in  the  belief  of  the  faithful,  and 

250 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

was  ever  regarded  as  sanction  and  proof  of  their  virtue. 
It  embodied  the  spirit  of  goodness,  and  even  in  our  day 
the  Cuban  poet  Cazals  planted  on  his  mother's  grave  a 
rose  which  he  insisted  was  kept  alive  by  his  mother's  spirit, 
and  spoke  to  him  in  the  wind,  just  as  Paganini,  who  had 
held  his  violin  to  the  lips  of  his  dying  mother,  heard  her 
voice  in  the  instrument  whenever  he  played  it  afterward. 

One  of  the  legends  of  the  crucifixion  names  the  rose 
brier,  or  dog  rose,  as  the  plant  chosen  for  the 
crown  of  thorns.  It  was  by  the  dog  rose  that  Satan 
tried  to  climb  back  to  heaven,  and  this  is  one  of 
many  * '  trees ' '  on  which  Judas  was  hanged.  As  drops  of  the 
Saviour's  blood  fell  on  the  earth,  roses  sprang  from  the 
spot  and  blossomed.  And  in  Bethlehem  was  the  Field  of 
Flowers,  to  which  a  girl  was  taken  to  be  burned  on  a 
wrongful  charge  of  crime.  She  prayed  for  a  miracle  to  let 
her  innocence  be  known.  In  answer  to  her  prayer  the 
flames  died  and  the  fagots  burst  into  leaf,  their  last  embers 
expanding  into  crimson  roses,  while  the  unburned  wood 
and  ashes  became  roses  of  white.  A  similar  tale  is  told  by 
the  Ghebers,  of  Abraham,  when  he  was  thrown  into  fire  at 
Nimrod's  order,  adding  that  he  was  not  even  wakened  by 
the  flames,  but  slept  among  the  flowers  till  morning.  The 
relation  of  this  story  to  that  of  Zoroaster  is  plain. 

Another  sun  legend,  this  from  Roumania,  is  of  a  prin- 
cess bathing  in  the  sea,  who,  being  seen  by  Apollo,  so 
filled  his  heart  with  love  that  for  three  days  he  forgot  to 
urge  on  the  horses  of  the  sun,  remaining  stationary  in 
the  sky,  watching  for  her  reappearance  and  delighting  in 
hev  memory  while  she  slept.  As  a  consequence  of  his 
neglect  to  move  forward  and  bring  night  to  the  world's 
relief,  the  heat  was  so  great  that  the  girl  was  fain  to  leave 
her  house  and  bathe  for  coolness  the  oftener.  When  he 
had  descended  to  declare  his  love,  his  fervent  kisses  filled 

251 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

her  with  such  confusion  that  she  hung  her  head  and 
blushed,  and  that  attitude  and  color  of  modesty  have  per- 
tained to  her  ever  since,  for  she  is  the  rose. 

St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  being  tempted  by  the  devil  to  leave 
the  monastic  life  and  go  back  to  the  ease,  comfort,  and 
cleanliness  he  had  left,  was  so  tormented  by  these  sugges- 
tions that  he  left  his  cell,  went  into  the  bleak  hills,  and 
rolled  in  the  snow.  Now,  there  were  at  that  place  many 
rose-bushes,  and  as  it  was  the  deep  of  the  year,  without 
life  on  earth,  they  were  as  stalks  and  fagots.  His  poor  rag 
of  a  gown  was  no  protection,  and  the  thorns  cruelly  tore  his 
flesh.  Yet  he  bowed  himself  repeatedly  against  them, 
thinking  on  the  thorns  of  the  Crucified  One  and  suffering 
willingly.  He  went  out  with  the  feeling,  unexpressed  to 
himself,  that  his  cell  would  be  a  more  tolerable  place  for 
the  contrast  with  the  sharp  weather,  and  he  would  go  back 
to  it,  narrow,  hard,  comfortless,  as  it  was,  with  a  sense  of 
gladness.  By  physical  pain,  his  thoughts  would  be  at 
least  diverted  from  the  images  of  luxury  and  satisfied 
desire.  Nature  pitied  his  plight,  however,  and  heaven 
sorrowed  for  his  tempting,  for  straightway  the  sun  shone 
bright,  a  warm  wind  breathed  across  the  land,  and  lo! 
the  blood  of  Francis,  that  dripped  from  the  thorns,  burst 
into  flower  as  roses.  The  saint  gathered  many  and  placed 
them  on  the  earth:  a  gift  to  Christ  and  Mary.  His  offer- 
ing was  accepted,  for  angels  came,  and,  gathering  the 
flowers,  arose  with  them  to  the  sky,  their  fragrant  petals 
showering  about  the  praying  figure. 

Mythologists  may  relate  this  legend  to  the  older  one, 
lately  quoted,  that  red  roses  grew  from  thorns  that  had 
pricked  the  feet  of  Venus,  and  so  were  crimsoned  as  she 
ran  through  the  wood  seeking  Adonis;  that  yellow  roses 
were  smitten  to  that  color  by  the  setting  sun  on  the  day  he 
died,  while  white  roses  sprang  from  her  tears.     The  tale 

252 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

that  the  red  rose  was  originally  white,  but  blushed  with  joy 
when  Eve  kissed  it  in  Eden,  is  doubtness  of  later  origin  than 
the  Venus  myth.  There  is,  however,  a  Talmudic  legend,  as 
ancient  as  the  Greek,  that  tells  how  the  rose  was  painted 
red: 

At  midnight  before  the  vernal  equinox,  when  Cain 
and  Abel  were  to  make  their  offerings  to  the  Lord,  a  vision 
came  to  their  mother,  Eve.  She  saw  a  little  lamb  bleeding 
its  life  away  on  Abel's  altar,  and  the  white  roses  he  had 
planted  about  it  were  suddenly  full  blown  and  red.  Voices 
cried  about  her,  as  in  despair,  but  they  died  away  and  only 
a  wonderful  music  was  heard  instead.  Then,  as  the 
shadows  lifted  from  her  eyes,  a  vast  plain  unfolded,  more 
beautiful  than  the  paradise  she  had  left,  and  grazing  there 
were  flocks  watched  by  a  shepherd  whose  robe  of  white 
was  so  fine  and  shining  that  the  eye  was  dazzled  by  it.  He 
wore  a  wreath  of  roses  which  Eve  recognized  as  having 
lately  grown  about  the  altar,  and  he  struck  the  strings  of 
a  lute,  waking  entrancing  harmony. 

Day  broke,  and,  dismissing  the  vision  as  an  idle  dream, 
Eve  watched  her  sons  as  they  went  forth  to  make  sacrifice 
to  the  deity.  She  heard  the  cries  of  the  little  creatures 
of  the  flocks  as  they  were  put  to  death,  and  was  glad  that 
her  children  were  willing  to  do  this  thing  in  the  belief 
that  suffering  was  agreeable  to  the  author  of  life  and 
love.  At  evening  her  sons  were  still  afield,  and  as  dark- 
ness came  she  went  to  seek  them.  Her  dream  returned 
to  her,  and  she  was  disturbed.  The  fires  on  the  two  altars 
had  burned  out,  and  the  bodies  of  the  lambs  were  charred 
and  broken.  From  a  cave  hard  by  sounded  roarings  of 
despair:  she  knew  the  voice  for  Cain's.  And  before  his 
younger  brother 's  altar  lay  the  most  pitiful  sacrifice  of  all : 
the  body  of  Abel,  cold  and  rigid ;  and  his  blood  had  bespat- 
tered all  the  roses  he  had  planted.    Eve  sank  upon  the 

253 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

body  of  her  son,  and  again  the  vision  of  the  night  returned : 
she  saw  the  shining  one  again,  and  it  was  Abel  who  shep- 
herded in  the  new  paradise.  He  wore  the  roses,  but  they 
were  beautiful  and  fragrant,  and,  striking  the  harp  in  a 
triumphant  measure,  he  sang,  ''Look  up  and  see  the  stars 
shining  promise  through  your  tears.  Those  cars  of  light 
shall  carry  us  to  fields  more  blooming  than  Eden.  There 
sighs  and  moans  change  to  hymns  of  rapture,  and  there 
the  rose  that  has  been  stained  with  innocent  blood  blooms 
in  splendor." 

Then  Eve  was  comforted,  and,  gathering  the  roses  lie 
had  planted,  she  bound  them  about  his  cold  brow  as  she 
had  seen  him  wear  them  in  the  vision,  and  buried  him 
before  the  altar,  just  as  the  rose  of  a  new  day  unfolded  in 
the  east. 

This  is  the  legend  of  St.  Dorothea,  of  Cappadocia.  For 
her  faith  she  was  arrested  and  taken  before  the  governor, 
Sapricius,  who  threatened  her  with  grievous  injuries  unless 
she  renounced  Christ.  She  answered  only,  *'Do  your 
worst.  I  shall  feel  no  pain,  so  long  as  I  am  ready  to  die 
for  Him.'* 

**To  whom  do  you  refer?"  asked  the  ruler. 

'*He  is  Christ  of  whom  I  speak,  the  Son  of  God." 

''Where  is  He?" 

"Over  all  the  earth  and  in  all  the  heaven.  It  is  from 
heaven  that  He  summons  us — heaven,  where  the  lilies 
always  bloom,  the  roses  are  in  flower,  the  fields  are  always 
green,  and  the  water  of  life  springs  forth  continually." 

A  mocking  lawyer,  named  Theophilus,  cried  at  this,  "I 
should  like  to  see  those  roses.     I  beg  you,  send  me  some." 

Dorothea  answered  simply,  "I  will." 

The  governor,  persuaded  that  it  was  necessary  for  the 
political  safety  of  his  province  to  suppress  this  dangerous 
band  of  Christians,  ordered  the  girl  to  the  block,  and  after 

254 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

her  head  had  been  struck  off,  Theophilus  told  his  compan- 
ions, with  laughter,  how  he  had  obtained  the  promise  of 
roses  from  heaven.  While  he  jeered  there  appeared  be- 
side him  a  figure  of  the  saint,  tall,  fair,  exceeding  white, 
and  in  her  hand  she  bore  a  bunch  of  roses  of  wondrous 
size  and  color,  which  exhaled  such  fragrance  that  all  the 
room  was  filled  with  it.  They  shed  light  as  well  as  per- 
fume, and  the  mocker  fell  back  in  astonishment,  remorse 
weighing  at  his  eyes  and  plucking  at  his  heart.  Dorothea 
bade  him  take  the  flowers,  which  he  did,  and,  convinced 
that  the  faith  she  had  upheld  was  true,  he  chose  it  and  made 
public  confession  of  his  choice  before  the  same  stern 
officer  who  had  ordered  her  to  be  slain.  Like  her,  he 
went  forth  to  receive  the  baptism  of  biood,  bearing  the 
heavenly  roses  to  the  grave. 

Still  better  known  than  these  traditions  is  the  story 
of  Elizabeth  of  Hungary.  There  are  variants  on  this 
theme,  the  commoner  representing  her  husband  as  a  coarse 
tyrant;  but  such  he  was  not.  The  cruel  one  was  a  plot- 
ting cleric,  who  had  forced  himself  into  the  household  as 
confessor,  and  used  his  place  to  gain  money  and  power. 
Princess  Elizabeth,  suspecting  guile  of  no  man,  was  con- 
stant in  her  charities,  and  no  doubt  was  as  constantly 
imposed  upon.  On  the  day  of  the  miracle  Elizabeth  was 
carrying  food  to  a  sick  person  when  her  husband  came 
galloping  through  the  wood  and  stopped  before  her. 
Noting  that  she  carried  a  burden  in  a  fold  of  her  dress, 
he  dismounted  and  reached  toward  it.  *'  You  should  not 
tire  yourself  in  these  works,*'  he  said.  **  Give  me  the 
parcel,  and  I  will  carry  it  for  you.  Happily  those  whom 
you  bless  with  your  charities  are  better  able  than  you  to 
walk  these  rough  paths  and  carry  bread  and  wine.'' 

Half  bashfully,  half  playfully,  Elizabeth  held  her  bur- 
den closer  to  her  breast,  and  the  husband  also  in  mingled 

255 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

sport  and  earnest  tried  to  wrest  it  from  her.  The  wrapping 
fell  away,  and  lo !  the  warmth  of  her  heart  had  changed  the 
bread  and  meat  to  white  and  red  roses  of  amazing  size  and 
of  such  fragrance  that  the  winter  air  seemed  changed  to 
summer.  Standing  apart  from  her  in  astonishment,  the 
husband  saw  the  lifted  countenance  of  the  saint  shining 
with  a  soft,  strange  light,  and  in  a  low  voice  and  on 
his  knees  he  begged  one  flower,  which  he  put  into  his  breast. 
Then  he  rode  away  with  downcast  eyes,  for  he  knew  that, 
much  as  he  loved  his  wife,  and  much  as  she  loved  him, 
heaven  was  between  them. 

Famous  among  rose-trees  is  that  of  Hildesheim  in  Han- 
over, which  is  believed  to  be  more  than  a  thousand  years 
old.  Ludwig  the  Pious  assembled  his  knights  and  his  dogs 
one  autumn  morning  in  the  year  814  and  prepared  for  a 
day  of  happiness.  He  armed  himself  and  his  people  with 
instruments  for  stabbing  and  cutting  and  set  off  to  waste 
the  innocent  life  of  the  forest  that  surrounded  his  castle. 
In  haste  to  begin  the  killing,  the  company  could  hardly 
restrain  its  impatience  while  a  priest  invoked  God's  bless- 
ing on  the  knives  and  spears,  and  on  the  dogs  that  would 
presently  tear  the  flesh  from  victims  of  the  sport.  So  soon 
as  the  Amen  was  pronounced,  the  troop  galloped  away  with 
shouts  and  laughter,  leaving  untasted  the  holy  bread  and 
wine,  used  in  the  communion,  on  the  ground  where  the 
priest  had  put  them.  Next  day  a  rose  bush  was  found 
shadowing  the  sacrament.  It  had  sprung  up  as  soon  as  the 
king  was  gone,  and  increased  miraculously,  and  there  the 
king  ordered  a  chapel  to  be  built. 

The  golden  rose  is  a  decoration  bestowed  by  the  Popes 
on  members  of  royal,  noble,  or  distinguished  families, 
soldiers,  literary  men,  or,  it  may  be,  on  congregations  or 
even  cities,  that  at  the  end  of  a  year  are  proved  to  have 

256 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

done  much  for  the  Church.  The  practice  of  bestowing  this 
costly  gift  began  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  it  was  a  sub- 
stitute for  tokens  of  varied  character,  for  we  are  told  that 
one  of  the  Popes  sent  a  golden  shirt  to  a  king  who  had  been 
zealous  for  the  faith.  The  rose  is  blessed  on  the  fourth 
Sunday  in  Lent,  but  if  nobody  appears  worthy  to  receive  it, 
it  is  put  away  in  a  cabinet  of  the  Vatican,  to  be  brought  out 
and,  if  possible,  awarded,  next  year.  The  first  of  these 
roses  was  a  simple  image  of  a  flower,  shaped  with  skill, 
but  without  decoration.  As  time  went  on  it  increased  in 
size,  a  stem  was  added,  then  leaves,  then  the  petals  were 
doubled,  then  they  were  dewed  with  rubies  and  diamonds, 
and  finally  it  evolved  into  a  small  bush  bearing  two  or 
three  flowers  and  set  in  a  pot  bearing  the  papal  name  and 
arms.  One  of  these  offerings,  sent  to  a  queen  of  France, 
weighed  eight  pounds  and  represented  a  value  of  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  dollars  in  metal.  Of  late  the 
stones  and  pearls  that  ornamented  the  branches  have  been 
omitted,  and  in  recent  days  not  even  pure  metal  is  used, 
for  the  token  is  of  silver  gilt,  of  small  intrinsic  value. 
There  attaches  to  it  an  omen  of  ill  fortune,  that  makes 
even  devoted  members  of  the  Church  unwilling  to  receive 
it,  although  American  women  to  whom  it  has  been  given 
seem  to  be  immune  from  evil  consequences  of  the  acceptance. 
Countess  O'Leary,  Marquise  de  Mermville,  and  the  wife  of 
General  Sherman  are  these  Americans.  But  among  the 
women  of  its  history,  it  is  true  that  many  were  doomed  to 
early  or  painful  death,  poverty,  dethronement,  or  other 
misfortune.  Joanna  of  Sicily,  the  first  rose  queen,  was 
strangled;  the  Queen  of  Naples,  Empress  Josephine,  Prin- 
cess Isabella  of  Brazil,  the  Queen  of  the  Belgians,  the 
Queen  of  Portugal,  the  Queen  Regent  of  Spain,  ex-Empress 
Eugenie,  the  Empress  of  Austria,  Bloody  Mary  (daughter 
17  257 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

of  Henry  VIII.,  who  himself  received  three  of  these  roses), 
all  suffered  desertion,  exile,  political  opposition,  or  assas- 
sination. 

Some  early  legends  of  the  rose  have  been  here  set  down, 
but  the  Orient  has  others,  for  it  was  in  the  east  that  the 
first  moss  rose  grew.  It  had  been  like  others  until  an  angel 
slept  beneath  it.  Waking,  he  thanked  the  bush  for  its 
shade  and  perfume  and  asked  if  he  could  grant  any  favor 
to  it.  **Yes,*'  replied  the  bush.  **You  have  praised  my 
beauty.  I  would  wear  one  other  grace,  to  prove  that  I 
can  hear  sweet  words,  yet  retain  modesty."  The  angel 
touched  it,  and  its  stems  and  buds  were  clothed  and  soft- 
ened.   To  our  day  it  has  kept  this  delicate  covering. 

Other  myths  of  the  Orient  equal  this  for  age,  for  they 
say  that  the  rose  disappeared  from  paradise  when  our 
parents  fell,  into  knowledge.  Long  afterward  there  lived 
a  Jewish  maid,  one  Zillah,  whose  charms  had  spoiled  the 
sleep  of  a  young  man,  Hammel.  His  love  she  rejected; 
hence,  wrathful  and  embittered,  he  charged  her  so  explic- 
itly with  lapses  from  virtue  that  the  people  demanded  her 
death.  She  was  tried,  in  the  old  harsh  manner  of  a  day 
when  a  man's  word  weighed  more  than  a  woman's  oath, 
was  found  guilty  and  condemned  to  the  stake.  When 
Zillah  was  bound  upon  the  fagots  and  the  torch  applied 
to  them,  the  flames  leaped  forth  like  lightning,  and  pierced 
Hamil's  guilty  breast;  he  toppled  into  the  fire  and  was 
burned  to  a  cinder  at  his  victim's  feet — feet  that  were 
unscorched.  As  the  wood  sank  beneath  the  girl's  weight, 
it  was  seen  to  lose  its  glow  and  take  on  a  more  tender 
hue  than  flame,  while  the  smoke  ceased  to  roll,  and  she 
breathed  a  ravishing  sweetness  in  its  stead.  For  the  coals 
were  roses — red  where  the  brands  had  suddenly  cooled  to 
flowers ;  white  where  the  wood  had  been  unburned.  Stand- 
ing on  this  cushion  of  bloom,  unscathed  and  with  height- 

258 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

ened  beauty,  Zillah  needed  no  words  to  proclaim  her 
innocence.  The  priests  were  saddened  as  they  thought  how 
nearly  they  had  debased  their  sacred  office  to  abet  the  crime 
of  Hammel. 

It  is  in  a  cold  country,  Russia,  namely,  where  we  would 
not  look  for  a  love  of  flowers,  that  we  find  an  odd  survival 
from  that  love.  Until  lately,  and  maybe  even  yet,  a  sentry; 
paced  a  beat  at  Tsar-skoe-selo,  the  imperial  domain,  nine- 
teen miles  from  St.  Petersburg.  He  never  knew  why,  nor 
did  the  officers  who  stationed  him,  except  that,  **it  was 
orders;'*  but  it  is  because  Empress  Catherine  a  century 
ago  commanded  a  soldier  to  guard  a  bush  that  had  budded 
in  a  sheltered  place  in  the  garden,  that  no  careless  courtier 
or  visitor  might  injure  it.  The  roses  ripened,  were  picked 
for  the  empress 's  table,  but  nobody  remembered  the  sentry, 
and  as  orders  had  been  issued  to  maintain  this  beat,  the 
guard  detail  included  the  bush.  The  roses  faded,  yet  the 
sentry  tramped  on.  What  was  a  mere  soldier?  Winter 
came,  yet  still  he  paced,  back  and  forth,  in  the  arctic 
weather.  The  bush  died.  Catherine  died.  Sentries  died, 
and  others  kept  the  earth  worn  smooth.  And  still  the  sen- 
tries pace,  watching  the  ghost,  the  memory,  of  a  flower. 

It  is  of  another  sort  of  soldier  they  tell  in  France,  the 
General  La  Hoche.  He,  with  other  accused  aristocrats, 
was  immured  in  the  Conciergerie.  One  morning  there  came 
to  him  from  some  unknown  friend  a  splendid  bouquet  of 
roses.  The  haggard  prisoners  cried  in  delight  at  the  sight 
and  begged  for  them  when  he  appeared  at  the  leanly 
furnished  table  where  they  took  their  meals.  Beginning 
with  the  women,  fair  daughters  of  misfortune  whose  pretty 
heads  were  so  soon  to  be  shorn  away  by  the  guillotine, 
he  distributed  the  trophies,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  flowers 
brought  light  and  hope  into  the  gloomy  place.  The  babble 
was  almost  cheerful.    But  while  all  tongues  were  wagging, 

259 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  door  grated  on  its  hinges  and  an  officer  in  black 
appeared,  followed  by  a  file  of  soldiers.  He  carried  a 
paper  holding  a  list  of  those  who  were  to  die.  ** Citizen," 
said  a  young  woman  to  La  Hoche,  ''I  shall  wear  your  rose 
to  the  scaffold." 

''And  we  also,"  cried  the  others. 

And  when  the  tumbrils  passed  through  the  street  the 
ruffians  of  the  pavement  looked  in  wonder,  for  every  man 
held  a  rose  to  his  lips,  and  every  woman  wore  a  rose  in  her 
bosom,  a  rose  pale  as  death,  or  red  as  the  blood  that  was 
shortly  to  be  spilled  in  the  name  of  justice,  liberty  and  love. 

ROSEMARY 

This  plant,  which  is  not  a  rose  and  is  not  dedicated 
to  Mary,  takes  its  name  from  the  Latin,  ros  marinum,  or  sea 
dew,  for  it  is  fond  of  the  water.  The  Romans  made 
decorative  as  well  as  ceremonial  use  of  rosemary,  crowning 
with  it  the  guests  at  banquets,  employing  it  in  funeral 
rites,  wreathing  it  on  their  household  gods,  and  purifying 
their  flocks  with  its  smoke.  They  believed  that  the  odor 
of  the  plant  tended  to  preserve  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  and 
the  lasting  green  of  its  leaves  made  it  an  emblem  of  eter- 
nity, for  both  which  reasons  they  planted  it  near  tombs. 
In  northern  England,  a  relic  of  this  custom  is  seen  in  the 
bearing  of  rosemary  in  funeral  processions,  the  sprays  be- 
ing cast  on  the  coffin  in  the  grave.  As  a  plant  of  remem- 
brance, it  formed  a  part  of  bridal  wreaths.  When  Christ- 
mas was  the  heartiest  of  holidays,  rosemary  decked  the 
hall  of  feasting,  the  roast,  the  boar's  head,  and  the  wassail 
bowl,  this  service  in  possible  memory  of  the  rosemary's 
opening  to  hide  the  Virgin  and  her  child  from  Herod's 
soldiers — a  legend  it  shares  with  the  juniper  and  other 
trees.    And  because  Mary  spread  the  linen  of  her  babe  on 

260 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

a  rosemary,  it  flowers  in  memory  of  him  on  the  day  of  the 
passion.  In  Sicily  it  is  a  heathen  plant,  for  fairies  nestle 
under  it,  disguised  as  snakes,  which  circumstance  has  not 
prevented  its  extensive  cultivation,  even  in  monastery  gar- 
dens, where  it  w^as  prized  for  its  medicinal  qualities. 
Mixed  with  rue,  sage,  marjoram,  fennel,  quince,  and  a  few 
other  matters — pity  that  the  recipe  could  not  have  been 
preserved! — it  kept  one  young  so  long  as  he  wished  to  be. 
If  a  maid  is  curious  as  to  her  future,  she  may  obtain 
information  by  dipping  a  spray  of  rosemary  into  a  mixture 
of  wine,  rum,  gin,  vinegar,  and  water  in  a  vessel  of  ground 
glass.  She  is  to  observe  this  rite  on  the  eve  of  St,  Magda- 
len, in  an  upper  room,  in  company  with  two  other  maids, 
and  each  must  be  less  than  twenty-one  years  old.  Having 
fastened  the  sprigs  in  their  bosoms  and  taken  three  sips 
of  the  tonic — sips  are  quite  enough — all  three  go  to  rest 
in  the  same  bed  without  speaking.  The  dreams  that  fol- 
low will  be  prophetic. 

RUE 

Rue,  herb  of  grace  and  memory,  stands  for  repentance 
also,  and  we  have  made  the  word  into  a  verb,  the  villain 
of  melodrama  assuring  the  heroine  that  she  wiU  rue  the 
day  when  she  refused  to  place  herself  in  his  power,  as  she 
invariably  doesn't.  It  drives  away  the  plague  if  you 
merely  smell  of  it;  it  keeps  maids  from  going  wrong  in 
affairs  of  love,  if  only  they  will  pause  to  eat  it  when 
tempted;  it  makes  eyes  keener  and  wits  more  eager;  it 
heals  the  bites  of  snakes,  scorpions,  wasps,  and  bees.  For 
internal  poisons,  it  seems  to  have  been  no  less  effective  than 
for  snake  bites;  at  least,  Mithridates,  whose  subjects  were 
continually  trying  to  poison  him,  felt  a  need  to  accustom 
his  stomach  to  innutritions  material  in  the  faith  that  if  he 
could  not  live  on  it,  he  could  at  least  keep  a-dying  for  an 

261 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

unconscionable  while.  And  this  antidote,  which  he  would 
take  after  meals  or  before  a  glass,  consisted  of  twenty  rue- 
leaves,  two  figs,  two  walnuts,  twenty  berries  of  juniper,  and 
a  pinch  of  salt. 

If  all  this  be  not  enough,  you  may,  with  rue,  keep  off 
epilepsy,  dizziness,  insanity,  dumbness,  inflammation  of  the 
eyes,  and  the  evil  eye.  Boil  gun-flints  with  rue  and  ver- 
vain, and  the  shot  will  reach  your  victim,  human  or  defence- 
less. Lastly,  carry  a  bundle  of  rue,  broom,  maiden-hair, 
agrimony,  and  ground  ivy,  and  you  may  know  every  woman 
for  a  witch  who  is  one,  no  matter  how  plain  or  otherwise 
she  appears  to  you. 

SAGE 

It  has  been  claimed  that  when  the  Virgin  had  begun 
her  flight  into  Egypt  she  sought  refuge  from  the  hunters 
of  Herod  in  a  sage,  which  she  blessed,  whereupon  the  plant 
put  forth  a  blush  of  fragrance  in  all  its  leaves. 

A  later  tale,  which  may  have  its  roots  in  a  sun  or  season 
myth  of  pre-Christian  time,  represents  the  sage  as  a  nymph 
living  in  a  hollow  oak  beside  a  pool  where  jonquils  sprang, 
dulling  her  shyer  beauty.  But  she  had  no  jealousy.  She 
looked  into  the  water  mirror  and  saw  her  own  face  there, 
without  pride,  and  she  looked  on  the  blossoms  of  the 
wood  and  loved  them.  Long  she  lived  there  in  peace  and 
happiness,  and  did  not  know  the  human  face.  But  the 
silence  of  the  wood  was  disturbed  by  a  call  of  horns  and 
baying  of  hounds,  and  the  king  rode  that  way,  hunting. 
As  he  came  to  the  foot  of  the  oak,  where  Sageflower  stood, 
her  modest  beauty  charmed  him.  It  was  death  for  her  to 
love  a  mortal,  yet  so  deep  was  the  affection  which  the 
sight  of  the  young  king  stirred  in  her  breast  that  she  made 
no  attempt  to  check  it.  He  had  only  to  tell  her  of  his  love 
to  receive  her  confession.     **The  fine  days  are  gone,*'  she 

262 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

said,  "  but  solitude  is  still  beautiful.  Let  us  remain  here 
alone  together.  It  lightens  my  heart  to  be  with  you.  You 
ask  my  love :  I  give  you  my  life. ' '  The  king  did  not  under- 
stand, and  he  folded  her  passionately  in  his  arms.  Sage- 
flower  returned  his  caress,  but  her  arms  relaxed,  her  head 
drooped.  The  king  placed  her  on  the  bank  and  hurried 
to  dip  water  from  the  pool  to  revive  her.  But  the  heat 
of  love  had  been  more  than  the  fragile  Sageflower  could 
endure.  She  had  faded  out  of  life.  And  the  king  went 
away,  mourning.  Which  is  a  poetic  way  of  saying  that 
the  flower  loves  the  sun  and  fades  in  the  heat  after  fertiliza- 
tion. 

Sage  is  a  plant  of  wide  range.  Its  ghostly  tufts  dot  our 
Western  deserts,  and  it  also  flourishes  in  our  gardens,  where 
it  is  picked  for  the  stuffing  of  geese  and  turkeys.  An 
ornate  variety  is  the  salvia,  whose  plumes  are  very  flames 
of  scarlet.  In  the  middle  ages,  when  plants  were  much 
more  remarkable  than  now,  the  common  sage  prolonged  life, 
heightened  spirits,  kept  off  toads,  enabled  girls  to  see  their 
future  husbands,  mitigated  sorrow,  and  averted  chills. 

SAINT  FOIN 

Saint  foin — onohrychis  sativa — ^memorized  a  saint  of  the 
name  of  Foin,  in  popular  fancy  in  England ;  but  the  name 
is  French  and  signifies  holy  hay.  When  the  Holy  Family 
arrived  at  Bethlehem  and  could  obtain  no  room  in  the 
inn,  a  place  was  found  in  the  stable,  and  the  only  bed  that 
offered  even  there  was  the  stone  manger.  So  Joseph  went 
about  the  fields  gathering  wisps  of  hay  and  stubble,  which 
he  spread  as  softly  as  he  might,  that  his  wife  should  suffer 
as  little  as  possible;  and  most  of  this  hay  was  the  plant 
of  rose-colored  blooms  that  we  now  caU  lucerne,  or  cock^s 
head  clover.    The  frosts  had  killed  it,  so  that  it  was  wholly 

263 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

dry,  and  on  that  rude  but  fragrant  couch  the  little  Jesus 
slept  peacefully.  When  the  wise  men  came,  and  He  was 
lifted,  that  they  might  worship,  behold,  the  saint  foin 
had  come  to  life  again,  and  a  circle  of  blossoms  marked 
where  His  head  had  lain.  So  the  Italians  will  deck  their 
mangers  with  such  plants  as  show  green  at  Christmas, 
or  with  moss,  as  a  substitute  for  the  holy  hay  that  was 
pressed  by  the  infant  Saviour. 

ST.  JOHNSWORT 

Hypericum  perforatum  is  supposed  to  show  its  red  spots 
on  the  29th  of  August,  the  day  on  which  St.  John  was 
beheaded:  hence  its  name  of  St.  Johnswort;  but  it  also 
wears  the  names  of  devil's  flight,  and  devil  chaser,  because 
if  hung  in  windows  on  the  anniversary  of  St.  John's  birth, 
the  24th  of  June,  it  will  keep  away  ghosts,  devils,  imps,  and 
thunderbolts.  Should  you  be  tramping  about  the  fields  of 
the  Isle  of  Wight,  however,  you  must  beware  of  trampling 
on  this  herb,  for  if  you  do  a  fairy  horse  will  rise  from 
its  root,  squarely  under  you,  so  that  you  shall  find  your- 
self mounted  for  a  ride.  All  through  the  night  the  steed 
will  carry  you,  up  hill,  down  dale,  and  just  at  dawn  will 
sink  into  the  earth,  wherever  he  happens  to  be,  leaving 
you  with  the  prospect  of  a  weary  walk  to  breakfast.  Taken 
internally,  the  plant  cures  melancholy,  "if  it  is  gathered 
on  a  Friday  in  the  hour  of  Jupiter,  and  worn  away  about 
the  neck  '  * ;  and  if  hung  on  the  wall  of  a  bedroom  it  enables 
a  young  and  hopeful  maid  to  dream  of  her  future  husband. 

SAL 

SJiorea  rohusta,  known  to  India  as  the  sal,  is  a  sacred 
tree,  for  the  mother  of  Buddha  held  a  branch  of  it  when 
that  founder  of  a  faith  was  bom,  as  if  in  token  that  it 

264 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

should  serve  him  for  protection  in  his  life;  and  when 
that  life  was  about  to  end,  Prince  Buddha  lay  in  the  shelter 
of  two  sals  at  Kucinigara  and  took  food  at  the  hands  of  an 
artisan  who  dwelt  in  the  grove  of  sals  hard  by.  At  the 
instant  when  the  wife  of  Brahma  was  announcing  that 
Buddha  had  entered  paradise,  the  thunder  rolled,  the 
earth  shook.  But  the  life  went  out  in  beauty,  for  the  sal 
trees  bending  above  him  burst  into  bloom,  although  it  was 
not  the  flowering  season,  and  while  soft  music  sounded  from 
the  heavens,  the  trees  showered  their  blossoms  over  him, 
covering  the  form  of  the  perfect  one  with  color  and 
perfume. 

Tree  marriage  is  a  custom  among  the  lower  castes  in 
India,  the  girl  being  mated  to  a  sal,  or  even  to  a  bunch  of 
blossoms,  if  she  can  not  find  a  man  to  marry  her.  There  is 
a  superstition  that  if  a  girl  weds  a  tree  and  afterward  a 
man,  the  dangers  of  a  second  marriage  will  all  be  imposed 
upon  the  tree,  and  it  must  thenceforth  suffer  the  illnesses 
and  injuries  that  might  be  visited  on  the  bride ;  but  another 
reason  for  the  ceremony  is  that  in  wedding  a  tree  the  wife 
acquires  something  of  its  strength  and  fertility. 

SAXIFRAGE 

Burnet  saxifrage  (pimpinella  saxifrage)  is  indeed  a 
plant  of  magic  value,  for  if  a  woman  eats  it,  at  least,  in 
Italy,  her  beauty  will  increase.  If  a  soldier  will  steep 
his  sword  in  the  blood  of  moles  and  the  juice  of  pimpinella 
before  going  into  battle,  the  blade  will  bite  harder  and  do 
more  mischief.  Yet  in  a  tale  of  Hungary  it  is  as  powerful 
to  cure  as  it  is  to  hurt,  for  King  Chaba,  having  fought  a 
terrible  battle  against  his  brother,  that  left  him  with 
fifteen  thousand  wounded  soldiers  on  his  hands,  healed 
every  one  of  their  cuts  with  the  juice  of  this  little  plant. 

265 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

SHEPHERD'S  PURSE 

Our  common  little  peppergrass,  or  shepherd's  purse, 
was  once  known  as  pickpocket  and  pickpurse,  because  it 
sowed  itself  eagerly  and  so  robbed  the  farmer  of  the  fer- 
tility of  his  land.  Among  its  other  titles  are  St.  James- 
wort,  poor  man's  pharmacetty,  toywort,  caseweed,  and, 
in  Ireland,  clappedepouch.  This  last  has  reference  to  the 
likeness  of  its  seed  pouches  to  the  leather  wallets  carried 
by  licensed  beggars  and  lepers,  who  would  stand  at  the 
crossways  by  days  together  with  a  bell,  wooden  clapper, 
and  pouch,  summoning  the  public  to  give  money  or  be  vili- 
fied. Peppergrass  is  a  name  confined  to  New  England, 
and  betokens  the  smart  of  its  flower  stalks  in  the  mouth 
when  they  are  chewed. 

SILK  COTTON 

In  the  West  Indies  grows  a  tree  with  huge  roots  that 
extend  half  way  up  the  trunk  in  buttress-like  extensions, 
and  rounded  masses  of  foliage  in  whose  shade  the  native 
vendors  doze  while  waiting  to  sell  their  wares.  Yet  the 
white  man  would  pass  under  it  with  a  shudder,  could  he 
believe,  as  the  negroes  do,  that  the  tree  is  inhabited  by 
cloudy  forms  and  that  death  lurked  in  its  trunk.  Obeah, 
or  voodoo,  is  a  form  of  magic  which  in  parts  of  the  Antilles 
is  unfortunately  real.  One  may  express  such  contempt 
as  he  will  of  the  spells  and  incantations  by  which  the  obeah 
man  seeks  to  injure  the  enemy  of  his  client — for  these 
conjurers  sell  their  influence,  like  lawyers — ^but  subtle 
murder  has  been  done  by  these  malignants,  especially 
through  the  use  of  vegetable  poisons.  Where  possible,  they 
will  obtain  underclothing  of  the  intended  victim,  steep  it 
in  the  poison,  and  he  dies  a  mysterious  and  lingering 
death.    Diseases,  too,  have  been  disseminated  through  the 

266 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

use  of  infected  clothing  and  articles  of  household  use. 
Yet  discovery  and  conviction  of  the  conjurer  are  difficult, 
for  he  is  held  in  such  dread  by  the  natives  that  they  dare 
not  confess  what  they  know  of  him.  His  employers  are  not 
always  so  ignorant  as  his  protectors ;  at  least,  one  who  was 
hanged  in  Jamaica  involved  several  planters  and  white 
people  of  consequence  in  his  confession. 

Now,  this  obeah  man  is  in  league  with  spirits,  good  and 
evil,  such  as  the  duppies,  rolling  calves,  the  mial  people, 
the  fan-eyed,  and  Anansi — a  devil  absurdly  Englished  as 
Aunt  Nancy.  And  among  the  evils  these  creatures  do  is 
to  steal  the  shadow  of  a  man  or  woman,  and  thereby  cause 
a  decline  in  health,  a  wasting  in  substance,  that  has  but  one 
end:  death.  When  a  shadow  is  stolen  it  roosts  in  the  silk 
cotton  tree,  invisible  for  much  of  the  time,  but  a  tree  may 
be  so  filled  with  stolen  shadows  that  in  quiet  weather  they 
can  be  heard  whispering  and  rustling  among  the  leaves. 
A  negro  will  rarely  put  an  ax  to  the  tree,  for  fear  of  these 
larvae,  and  also  because  the  deaths  that  live  in  the  trunk 
will  enter  his  soul  through  his  nostrils  if  he  tries  to 
destroy  it.  To  the  end  of  pacifying  the  deaths,  and  the 
shadows,  and  the  duppies,  a  sort  of  worship,  as  of  the 
Druids,  is  ordained.  When  an  obeah  man  has  charmed 
away  a  shadow,  the  unhappy  one  who  misses  that  adjunct 
hies  him  at  once  to  an  angel  man,  or  shadow-catcher,  to 
pray  it  out  of  the  keeping  of  the  ceiba,  or  silk  cotton.  A 
high  price  is  charged  for  the  job,  for  the  angel  men  who 
guarantee  success  are  few  and  are  highly  important  persons. 

The  Caribs  and  Indians  of  Guiana  have  a  tradition, 
which  folk-lorists  may  relate  to  Ygdrasil  of  the  Norsemen, 
in  that  God  created  a  wonderful  tree  that  yielded  all  vege- 
tables good  for  men — the  banana,  maize,  cassava,  potatoes, 
yams,  and  all  fruits  besides.  At  the  command  of  a  voice 
in  the  skies,  men  set  themselves  to  cut  down  this  giant.    It 

267 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

took  them  ten  months  to  destroy  it,  and  it  fell  with  a 
mighty  crash.  Then,  at  the  command  of  the  voice,  the 
people  took  leaves  and  cuttings,  planted  them  in  mellow 
lands,  and  they  sprang,  not  like  the  parent  tree,  but  as 
bananas,  yams,  maize,  mangos,  and  cocoanuts.  And  this 
mythical  tree  seems  to  relate  to  the  silk  cotton,  in  that  the 
ceiba  was  the  seat  of  the  Mighty  One.  Its  branches  lifted 
to  the  clouds,  and  when  he  scattered  twigs  and  bark  these 
fragments  changed  to  living  creatures;  so  were  men  made, 
as  well  as  birds,  beasts,  fish,  and  reptiles.  But  not  so  came 
the  white  race :  it  was  only  the  withered  and  useless  leaves, 
that  fell  upon  the  w^aters  and  drifted  to  distant  places,  that 
fermented  into  the  tribe  of  spoilers  and  slayers,  all  to  be 
drowned  when  the  time  came,  in  the  great  deluge  that 
poured  from  the  Haytien  gourd. 

SNOWDROP 

When  the  first  winter  lay  white  upon  the  earth.  Eve 
sorely  missed  the  beautiful  things  of  the  fields.  An  angel 
who  pitied  her  seized  a  flake  of  the  driving  snow  and, 
breathing  on  it,  bade  it  live,  for  her  delight.  It  fell  to 
the  earth  a  flower,  which  Eve  caught  to  her  breast  with 
gladness,  for  not  only  did  it  break  the  speU  of  winter, 
but  it  carried  assurance  of  divine  mercy.  Hence  the 
flower  means  consolation  and  promise.  In  another  legend 
Kerma,  finding  her  lover  dead,  plucked  a  snowdrop  and 
placed  it  on  his  wounds.  It  did  not  rouse  him,  but  at  the 
touch  his  flesh  changed  to  snowdrops,  hence  the  flower  is 
also  an  emblem  of  death.  Even  now  in  rural  England  the 
flower  is  in  ill  repute,  and  it  is  unlucky  to  carry  the  first 
spray  of  the  season  into  the  house,  while  it  is  downright 
indelicate  for  a  person  to  give  it  to  one  of  another  sex, 
since  it  implies  a  wish  to  see  the  recipient  dead.  This 
galanthus  nivalis  is  variously  known  in  England,  France, 

268 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Italy,  and  Switzerland  as  virgin  flower,  snow  piercer,  win- 
ter gallant,  firstling,  blackbird  flower,  little  snow  bell,  little 
white  bell,  baby  bell,  spring  whiteness,  and  white  violet. 

SPEEDWELL 

The  legend  of  St.  Veronica,  associated  with  the  veronica, 
or  speedwell,  is  mentioned  in  the  early  Christian  legends. 
The  plant  has  other  attributes,  however,  than  that  of  sug- 
gesting the  picture  of  Christ  on  the  handkerchief  where- 
with the  saint  wiped  the  blood  and  sweat  from  His  face 
as  He  went  to  His  death.  Its  *Hrue  blue,"  as  well  as  the 
story  of  Veronica,  has  caused  it  to  be  chosen  as  the  emblem 
of  woman's  fidelity.  Long  ago  it  was  valued  for  its 
medicinal  qualities  and  for  them  it  attained  the  distinc- 
tion implied  in  its  German  name  of  ehrenpreis,  or,  honor 
prize.  It  was  a  shepherd  who  discovered  its  worth  as  a 
curative,  for  he  saw  a  deer,  wounded  by  a  wolf's  bite,  rub 
itself  against  an  oak,  then  lie  in  a  speedwell  patch.  The 
stag  remained  in  its  nook  for  a  week,  eating  of  the  speed- 
well from  time  to  time,  and  when  it  came  forth  the  wound 
was  cured.  Now,  the  king  of  that  country  had  been  smitten 
with  a  leprosy  and  was  lying  on  his  bed,  so  ill  he  doubted 
if  he  should  ever  again  rise  from  it.  To  him  the  shepherd 
made  his  way  with  a  dish  filled  with  new-gathered  flowers 
of  the  speedwell,  and  related  what  he  had  seen.  The  mon- 
arch applied  them  to  his  bleeding  skin  and  also  drank  a 
decoction  brew  from  the  plant.  As  a  result,  he  left  his  bed, 
sound  in  health  and  full  of  thanks  for  the  blessings  that 
the  Lord  had  showered  upon  the  earth. 

SPRINGWORT 

Springwort,  or  blasting  root,  to  be  found  on  St.  John's 
night  among  the  ferns,  is  hard  to  lay  hands  upon,  because 
it  has  the  magical  quality  of  seeming  to  dodge  about. 

269 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Once  it  had  the  power  to  open  locks,  hidden  doors,  and 
entrances  to  forgotten  caves,  like  the  ^'sesame"  of  All 
Baba,  and  if  a  horse  treads  on  it  the  springwort  will  surely 
pull  his  shoes  off.  This  variety  of  euphorbia  may  be  had 
in  this  manner :  In  the  nesting  season  track  a  woodpecker 
to  his  hole,  and  plug  it  while  he  is  foraging.  As  soon  as 
he  finds  the  place  occluded,  he  will  hurry  away  for  spring- 
wort,  which,  by  its  magic,  will  cause  the  plug  to  be  ejected, 
so  the  watcher,  who  is  standing  below,  may  pick  up  the 
weed  the  bird  has  dropped.  This  belief  is  older  than 
Pliny,  who  declares  that  an  electric  force  in  the  plant  draws 
out  the  obstruction.  Later  peoples  have  believed  spring- 
wort  to  be  a  product  of  water  and  lightning,  and  that  birds 
carrying  it  above  either  a  fire  or  a  vessel  of  water  must  let 
it  fall.  In  Suabia  it  is  burned  on  a  mountain  top,  as  a 
lightning  averter. 

SPRUCE 

From  strips  of  spruce,  the  Haida  Indians,  of  British 
Columbia,  make  not  only  remarkable  mats,  but  hats  and 
baskets,  so  finely  woven  that  when  swollen  with  moisture 
they  hold  water  like  bags  of  skin  or  jars  of  pottery.  They 
are  rudely  and  quaintly  decorated  with  figures  that  sym- 
bolize tribal  myths  and  history.  A  legend  relates  that 
two  girls,  being  treated  cruelly  by  their  stepmother,  de- 
cided to  leave  their  home.  They  were  found  by  a  man  who 
took  them  to  his  lodge  and  married  them.  After  some 
years,  they  felt  a  longing  to  revisit  the  scenes  of  their  child- 
hood, but  this  meant  a  journey  of  some  difficulty  and  dis- 
tance. Their  good  totem  spirit  bade  them  weave  two 
baskets  apiece  from  spruce  strips,  small  enough  to  fit  over 
the  end  of  the  thumb.  These  they  were  to  fill  with  dried 
meat  and  deer  tallow.  Now,  these  little  baskets,  holding 
less  than  a  mouthful  apiece,  were  as  the  baskets  that  con- 

270 


MYTHS  AND  LEGEND^  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

tained  the  loaves  and  fishes,  for  though  the  two  girls  ate 
all  they  wished,  the  supply  never  diminished.  When  they 
arrived  at  the  parental  lodge,  the  baskets  suddenly  swelled 
to  the  proportion  they  would  have  reached  had  they  con- 
tained the  food  actually  used  on  the  trip,  and  the  strength 
of  many  people  was  needed  to  carry  them  into  the  house. 
The  old  stepmother  was  still  there,  and,  being  easily  per- 
suaded to  eat  of  the  contents  of  the  baskets,  gorged  to  that 
degree  that  she  could  no  longer  breathe,  and  so  died,  in  a 
rapture  of  sufficiency,  and  her  stepdaughters  were  avenged. 

STRAMONIUM 

The  vexatious  **jimson  weed''  is  so  called  from  its 
abundance  in  Jamestown,  Virginia,  when  the  English  set- 
tlers, thinking  its  seed  might  have  food  properties,  ate  of 
it,  cutting  strange  antics  as  a  consequence.  This  plant, 
which  in  dignified  botanies  is  datura  stramonium,  is  valued 
by  the  Indians  of  the  southwest  for  medicinal  properties 
unlike  those  discovered  by  the  faculty  in  cities  of  the 
whites,  the  Zunis  using  it  both  as  a  narcotic  and  anodyne, 
applying  it  externally  to  cuts  and  bruises.  The  powdered 
root  and  flower  is  the  common  form  of  the  medicine,  and 
when  the  rain  priests  go  out  at  night  to  beg  the  birds  to 
sing  for  showers,  they  carry  a  little  of  this  powder  in  their 
mouths,  believing  that  the  birds  will  cease  to  fear  them 
when  they  do  so.  When  one  asks  the  spirits  of  the  dead 
to  pray  for  the  rains,  he  chews  a  piece  of  the  root,  but  he 
must  obtain  this  from  the  rain  priests,  or  from  the  Little 
Fire  Brotherhood,  to  whom  it  is  sacred.  A  priest  may 
also  give  it  to  one  who  has  lost  property  by  theft,  to  the 
end  that  the  victim  may  see  the  image  of  the  robber  in  a 
vision  and  accuse  him  to  his  face  next  day. 

The  Zuni  legend  of  the  plant  is  that  it  is  the  descend- 

271 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

ant  of  two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  who  displeased  the 
gods  by  wandering  about  their  place  of  council  and  telling 
their  mother  of  the  strange  things  they  saw.  Their  curi- 
osity and  gossip  led  the  gods  to  change  them  into  plants, 
on  eating  whereof  the  people  continue  to  tell  of  what' they 
see. 

STRAWBERRY 

Strawberries,  of  which  Swift  said  that  God  could  doubt- 
less have  made  a  better  beery,  but  doubtless  He  never  did, 
were  sacred  to  Friga,  and  when  the  new  religion  spread 
over  the  darkened  north  the  Virgin  inherited  from  her 
heathen  predecessor  the  right  to  this  fruit.  Indeed,  it  was 
considered  that  the  Virgin  acquired  such  fondness  for  it 
as  to  demand  all  of  it  that  grew,  and  if  a  mother  presented 
herself  at  heaven's  gate  with  the  stain  of  strawberries  on 
her  lips  the  Mother  of  the  Merciful  One  would  cast  her  down 
to  everlasting  torment  for  trespass  on  her  fields.  One 
reason  for  this  belief  is  that  infants  ascended  to  heaven 
disguised  as  strawberries;  hence  the  people  of  the  earth 
never  knew  when  they  were  committing  cannibalism  by 
eating  them,  and  the  safer  way  was  to  avoid.  As  John  the 
Baptist  was  contemporary  with  the  Virgin,  however,  he 
lived  fearlessly  on  this  berry,  and  to  denote  admiration 
for  the  preacher,  Don  John,  of  Portugal,  adopted  it  as  his 
device,  as  did  sundry  of  the  English  nobility,  for  strawberry 
leaves  are  shown  in  gold  on  various  of  their  coronets. 

SUGAR 

Sugar,  whose  sap  sparkles  in  snowy  crystals  on  the 
tables  of  the  world,  is  somewhat  of  a  luxury  in  the  regions 
of  its  growth.  Solemn  Orientals  may  be  seen  chewing  it 
as  they  ride  and  walk,  and  the  boy,  who  discloses  various 

372 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

attributes  of  his  species,  whether  you  find  him  in  Green- 
land or  Jamaica,  not  infrequently  contrives  to  possess  him- 
self of  a  couple  of  feet  of  the  cane,  and  sucks  it 
as  cleaner  children  mouth  sticks  of  candy  in  lands  of  sup- 
posedly better  fortune.  The  Hindu  planter  bums  the 
cane  that  may  be  left  after  harvest,  as  a  sacrifice  to  Nagbele, 
spirit  of  the  plant,  but  one  reason  for  his  so  doing  is  that 
it  may  bear  no  flowers  at  the  end  of  the  season,  for  to  have 
flowers  of  sugar  bloom  on  one 's  land  is  not  merely  bad  form, 
but  bad  luck,  as  it  signifies  that  a  funeral  must  presently 
occur  in  the  planter's  family. 

SUNFLOWER 

Various  plants  have  been  known  as  sunflower,  and 
the  chrysanthemum,  the  dandelion,  and  the  elecampane — 
a  bouquet  of  which  fair  Helen  carried  when  she  was  to 
elope  with  Paris — suggest  the  day  god  as  truly  as  the 
honest,  coal:^e,  assertive  sunflower  of  our  farm-s.  The  sup- 
position that  the  helianthus  annuus  is  called  by  a  more 
familiar  name  because  it  turns  its  face  to  the  sun  is  com- 
mon ;  but  the  clumsy  blossom  and  the  stiff  neck  on  which  it 
stands,  are  not  readily  moved.  Being  an  American  plant, 
it  could  not  have  been  the  sunflower  of  which  Ovid  tells, 
hence  we  are  to  imagine  that  when  Clytie,  dying  of  grief 
at  her  desertion  by  the  sun  god,  was  turned  into  a  flower, 
it  was  a  more  modest  one. 

Being  such  an  obvious  symbol  of  the  globe  of  light,  our 
big  sunflower  was  much  esteemed  in  Peru  by  the  sun  wor- 
shippers. Their  priestesses,  in  the  sun  temples,  wore  copies 
of  these  flowers  in  gold,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  Spaniards, 
who  immediately  possessed  themselves  of  these  shocking 
evidences  of  unauthorized  religion,  and  put  the  objectors 
to  the  sword. 

18  278 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

TAMARISK 

Osiris  and  Isis  came  to  the  earth  to  persuade  mankind 
to  better  living,  and  their  services  so  endeared  them  to  the 
people  that  the  jealousy  of  dark  and  bitter  Typhon  was 
aroused,  and  he  plotted  to  put  his  brother  Osiris  to  death. 
Typhon  invited  a  multitude  to  join  him  in  sports,  and  dur- 
ing the  merry-making  he  challenged  such  as  might  to  lie 
in  a  chest  made  from  precious  wood,  promising  to  bestow 
it  as  a  gift  on  him  who  should  fit  it  most  nearly.  He  had 
previously  taken  the  measure  of  Osiris,  so  of  course  the 
sun  god  fitted  it,  but  no  sooner  was  he  lying  at  his  length 
than  Typhon  clapped  down  the  lid,  bound  it  fast,  and 
flung  the  chest  into  the  Nile.  Isis  lamented  her  husband  *s 
absence,  and  searched  for  him  everywhere.  The  casket 
had  gone  ashore  at  Byblos  and  become  entangled  in  a 
tamarisk,  which  the  warmth  from  the  body  of  the  god 
caused  to  grow  with  wondrous  speed  and  to  such  a  height 
that  it  was  the  marvel  of  the  nation.  In  its  ascent  it  inclosed 
the  coffin.  The  king  of  Phoenicia,  fearing  that  some  sub- 
ject might  use  the  tree  for  base  purposes,  cut  it  down  for 
a  column  of  his  palace,  and  when  Isis  discovered  the  casket 
hidden  in  its  core,  she  hurled  a  thunderbolt  against  the 
pillar  to  split  it.  She  then  concealed  the  body  of  her  lord, 
but  Typhon  stole  to  the  place  at  night  and  cut  it  into  four- 
teen pieces,  which  he  flung  into  the  river.  Isis  recovered 
all  these  fragments  but  one,  and  this  the  goddess  eked  out 
with  a  piece  of  sycamore,  that  she  might  complete  the 
image  of  her  husband  when  she  buried  it  in  Philae,  where  a 
great  temple  was  built  to  his  memory. 

It  is  said  that  the  manna  which  fell  upon  the  ground 
and  relieved  the  hunger  of  Israel  in  the  wilderness  came 
from  the  tamarisk,  and  a  manna  still  made  at  Mount  Sinai 
consists  of  a  sticky,  sweet  sap  of  the  tamarix  gallica. 

274 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

THISTLE 

In  a  Greek  story,  Earth  made  the  thistle  in  a  moment 
of  grief,  that  she  might  express  her  love  for  Daphnis, 
shepherd  and  musician,  poet  and  hunter,  when  he  had 
passed  beyond  the  knowing  of  it;  but  it  was  associated 
in  the  north  with  Thor,  the  thunderer,  who  protected  it 
and  those  who  wore  it,  and  who  called  the  spiny  thing  a 
lightning  plant.  From  the  inexhaustible  mine  of  German 
folk-lore  is  extracted  a  tale  of  the  humble  weed :  A  merchant 
who  was  passing  through  a  lonely  country,  and  who  must 
have  neglected  to  wear  his  thistle  on  that  day,  was  met 
by  a  peasant  who,  noting  the  tokens  of  prosperity  in  the 
stranger's  costume  and  belongings,  was  filled  with  envy  and 
bitterness.  Seeing  the  road  empty,  save  of  themselves,  he 
fell  upon  the  merchant  and  put  him  to  death.  The  victim, 
dying,  fixed  his  eyes  on  the  murderer  and  solemnly  de- 
clared, ''The  thistle  will  betray  you."  Whatever  this 
warning  meant,  the  peasant  showed  contempt  for  it  by 
gathering  up  the  merchant's  gold  and  making  off.  Still, 
as  every  one  knows,  riches  bring  discontent,  and  the 
peasant  lost  his  spirits,  became  suspicious,  fearful ;  he  hesi- 
tated to  spend  the  money  he  had  stolen,  yet  he  dreaded 
its  loss  at  the  hands  of  other  thieves.  His  neighbors  espe- 
cially noticed  his  dislike  for  thistles,  for  he  would  avoid 
them  in  walking  through  the  fields.  They  asked  the  why 
of  it,  and  he  answered,  '*!  dare  not  say,  and  the  thistle 
can  not  say.'*  ''But  what  have  thistles  to  do  with  you?" 
they  insisted.  And  in  the  end,  half-demented  by  remorse 
and  dread,  he  confessed  the  crime  and  was  hanged.  On 
the  scene  of  the  murder,  in  Mecklenburg,  a  thistle  grows 
where  the  merchant  fell,  and  it  is  seen  that  its  buds  and 
branches  resemble  human  heads,  arms,  and  hands. 

Cereus,  or  torch  thistle,  is  the  lamp  borne  by  Ceres, 

275 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

while  the  carline  thistle  perpetuates  the  name  of  Carolus 
Magnus,  or  Charlemagne,  who,  perturbed  by  an  outbreak 
of  plague  during  the  prosecution  of  a  war,  and  fearing  that 
the  loss  of  his  soldiers  by  disease  might  force  him  to 
abandon  his  enterprise,  prayed  earnestly  for  help.  An 
angel  who  descended  from  heaven  in  answer  told  him  to 
shoot  his  crossbow  and  note  where  the  arrow  fell,  for  there 
he  would  find  an  herb  to  stay  the  epidemic.  The  bolt  fell 
upon  a  thistle,  which,  boiled  and  administered  to  the  in- 
valids, cured  them  speedily.  It  was  this  belief  in  its 
efficacy  as  a  drug  that  gave  to  one  species  the  name  of 
blessed  thistle,  holy  thistle,  and  our  lady's  thistle.  This 
plant  was  the  badge  of  the  Order  of  the  Thistle,  founded 
in  honor  of  the  Virgin  in  France  in  the  fourteenth  century. 
Another  order  of  the  same  name  is  held  to  be  the  oldest 
company  of  nobility  in  the  world,  having  been  created 
by  Archius,  King  of  Scots,  after  his  victory  over  Athelstan 
in  the  tenth  century;  but  this  assertion  is  denied  by  those 
British  historians  who  claim  the  creation  of  the  knights  for 
James  II.  of  England.  The  choice  of  the  thistle  as  a 
Scottish  national  symbol  dates  back  to  the  Danish  wars.  A 
marauding  Danish  army,  thinking  to  surprise  a  camp  at 
night,  advanced  barefooted  on  its  foes,  but  a  soldier,  step- 
ping on  a  thistle,  could  not  forbear  from  uttering  a  howl 
of  pain.  At  this  the  Scottish  camp  bestirred  itself  and 
defeated  the  invaders,  hence  *'the  guardian  thistle*'  became 
seal  of  the  kingdom,  with  the  fitting  motto.  Nemo  me  impune 
lacessit. 

For  all  this,  the  thistle  is  not  cultivated  assiduously; 
indeed,  legislatures  have  fulminated  against  it,  and  it  is 
usually  treated  as  an  enemy  to  be  rooted  out  of  the  soil 
wherever  found ;  yet  the  ass  thrives  on  it,  and  the  question 
is  put  to  doubters  of  its  nutritive  value,  *'Did  you  ever 
see  a  dead  donkey?"    Moreover,  a  man  who  was  lost  in  the 

276 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Yellowstone  country,  years  ago,  supported  life  for  some 
weeks  on  thistle  roots.  An  old  writer  commends  it  as  a 
vegetable  and  pot  plant — its  thorns  being  removed — and 
declares  that  it  ''changes  the  blood"  as  the  season  changes. 
If  it  lives  up  to  the  further  claim  that  it  cures  ague,  jaun- 
dice, and,  in  wine,  "expels  superfluous  melancholy  out  of 
the  body  and  makes  a  man  as  merry  as  a  cricket,"  we  may 
have  our  thistle  patches  in  the  future,  as  well  as  our  beet 
and  turnip  gardens. 

TULIP 

In  a  folk-tale  of  Devon,  the  pixies,  having  no  other 
cradles  for  their  children,  put  them  at  night  into  the 
blown  tulips,  to  be  cradled  by  the  winds.  A  woman  who 
had  gone  into  her  garden  with  a  lantern  and  found  the 
tiny  babes  asleep  in  the  flowers  was  so  delighted  that  she 
planted  more  tulips  at  once,  and  soon  there  were  cradles 
enough  for  all  the  fairy  people  round  about,  and  she  would 
steal  out  in  the  moonlight  to  watch  the  wee  creatures  folded 
away  in  the  satin  cups  and  swinging  in  the  perfumed 
breeze.  The  fairies,  watchful,  but  seeing  that  she  wished 
them  well,  rewarded  her  goodness  by  causing  the  tulips  to 
take  on  bright  colors  and  smell  sweet,  like  the  rose.  And 
they  blessed  the  woman  and  her  cottage  so  that  she  had 
luck  and  happiness  so  long  as  she  lived.  When  the  woman 
died,  a  worldling  occupied  her  cottage:  a  hard,  money- 
making  man,  one  of  whose  first  acts  was  to  destroy  the 
garden  as  of  no  use,  and  plant  parsley  where  the  flowers 
had  bloomed.  This  roused  the  ire  of  the  little  people,  and 
every  night  when  it  fell  dark  they  would  troop  out  of  the 
wood  and  dance  on  the  vegetables  and  tear  and  hack  at  their 
roots  and  throw  dust  into  their  blossoms,  so  that  nothing 
thrived  on^  that  land  for  years,  and  the  parsley  leaves  grew 
fringed  and  ragged  as  you  see  them  now.     But  the  grave 

277 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

where  the  woman  was  buried  they  kept  green  and  fair. 
At  the  head  nodded  a  cluster  of  beautiful  tulips,  gorgeous 
in  color,  sweet  of  smell,  and  these  bloomed  long  after  all 
other  flowers  had  faded.  In  time  other  men  without  eyes 
for  beauty  came  into  the  region,  so  the  woods  disappeared, 
the  grave  was  beaten  flat  by  passing  feet,  the  flowers  were 
rudely  broken,  and  the  fairies  withdrew  to  the  fastnesses 
of  the  hills.  From  that  time  the  tulips  lost  size  and  splen- 
dor and  fragrance  though  they  keep  enough  of  beauty  to 
endear  them  to  every  gardener. 

Turkey  has  made  the  tulip  the  subject  of  an  annual 
festival;  and,  indeed,  the  sight  of  a  great  tulip  garden, 
glowing  like  stained  glass,  is  worth  going  far  to  see.  In  the 
spring  we  wait  impatiently  that  uprush  of  color  from  the 
earth  which  is  denoted  in  the  tulip,  and  when  the  snows 
are  gone  and  earth  and  sky  soften  with  the  first  rains, 
we  bethink  us  of  the  season-myth  of  Isis,  hurrying  to  the 
help  of  Horus  as  he  lay  wounded  on  the  battle-field.  It 
was  a  bleak  and  wintry  plain  where  the  god  had  fallen, 
fertilizing  its  yet  unbreathing  life  with  his  blood,  but  as 
she  knelt  beside  him  and  vented  her  tears,  each  drop  arose 
from  the  earth  again,  a  flower ;  for,  behold,  the  spring  was 
come. 

The  Persian  swain  gives  a  tulip — it  is  the  Persian 
thulihan  (turban)  that  named  it — ^to  his  beloved  to  signify 
that  his  love  flames  like  its  color,  and  his  heart  is  charred 
to  a  coal  by  its  ferocity,  just  as  the  flower's  base  shows 
black.  Gerarde  observes  the  plant  more  reverently,  for 
he  maintains  that  it  is  the  ''lily  of  the  field"  that  toils  nor 
spins,  the  others  declare  for  the  lilium  Syriacum  as  the 
object  of  the  apostrophe. 

That  was  a  curious  chapter  in  the  history  of  popular 
rages  which  is  disclosed  in  the  ''tulip  mania"  of  Holland 
in  the  seventeenth  century.     Rare  strains  were  sold  for 

278 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

nearly  as  much,  during  that  excitement,  as  we  have  since 
paid  for  new  varieties  of  chrysanthemums — and  in  our 
twentieth  century  men  have  paid  ten  thousand  dollars  for 
a  fresh  form  of  the  Japanese  flower,  and  seventy-five  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  privilege  of  owning  the  first  of  a 
handsome  variety  of  carnation.  Some  indication  of  the 
extravagance  of  growers  and  speculators  may  be  found  in 
Dumas 's  tale  of  ''The  Black  Tulip,'*  which  is  not  abso- 
lutely a  work  of  fancy.  Government  finally  stopped  specu- 
lation in  tulips  after  the  bulb  of  the  Viceroy  had  been  sold 
for  four  thousand  three  hundred  and  three  guilders. 

VALERIAN 

Valeriana  jatamansi  is  the  spikenard  which  ranks  with 
saffron,  myrrh,  and  frankincense  as  a  perfume.  The  pre- 
cious ointments  of  the  east  contained  this  substance ;  it  was 
poured  upon  the  feet  of  Christ  by  the  Magdalen;  its 
smoke  has  long  ascended  before  the  altars  of  the  Roman 
church  bearing  with  it  the  prayers  of  the  worshippers; 
hence  its  use  is  ancient,  but  sometimes  secular,  for  Chaucer, 
who  calls  it  the  setewale, — ' '  as  swete  as  is  the  rote  of  licoris 
or  any  setewale  *' — was  used  to  it  as  a  seasoning  for 
broths.  The  odor  of  valerian  is  inviting  not  only  to  men, 
but  to  some  animals,  for  cats  and  rats  enjoy  rolling  in  it 
and  chewing  its  roots  and  leaves. 

In  a  Hindu  legend  a  man  who  is  compelled  by  an 
emergency  to  leave  his  house,  directly  after  his  marriage, 
plants  a  spikenard  in  his  garden  and  shows  it  to  his  bride, 
telling  her  that  he  will  be  safe  so  long  as  it  is  in  health. 
Years  pass  before  he  can  return,  and,  wishing  to  test  the 
woman's  constancy,  when  he  reaches  his  home  he  puts 
on  the  rags  of  a  beggar  and  enters  his  garden.  Yes;  the 
nard  is  there,  a  flourishing  tree,  giving  off  fragrance  and 

279 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

yielding  beauty  to  the  eye;  but  more  beautiful  than  all 
is  his  wife  as  she  kneels  before  it,  trimming  and  watching 
its  branches  and  occasionally  pearling  its  leaves  with  a  tear. 
He  throws  off  his  disguise  and  the  wedded  life  begins  in 
happy  reality. 

VIOLET 

One  would  suppose  that  the  violet  would  be  welcome  any- 
where, but  a  fear  of  it  still  lingers  among  English  rustics, 
for  whom  it  had  its  funerary  uses,  like  rue  and  rosemary ; 
but  while  those  plants  are  throAvn  into  the  grave  ''for 
remembrance"  the  violet  guarded  the  mourners  against 
poisonous  exhalations  from  the  cemetery. 

Violet  perfume  is  expressed  for  toilet  uses,  tons  of  its 
blooms  are  thrown  about  in  the  Italian  carnivals,  in  winter 
it  sells  for  fanciful  prices,  whole  conservatories  being  de- 
voted to  its  cultivation  near  the  cities,  and  it  is  turned 
into  confections  for  rich  demoiselles.  The  violet,  like  the 
rose,  has  been  used  as  a  food,  not  merely  to  color  and  gar- 
nish puddings,  broths  and  other  dishes,  but  as  a  salad, 
mixed — think  of  it! — with  lettuce  and  onions!  A  dish 
known  in  England  as  vyolette  consisted  of  the  flowers, 
boiled,  pressed,  and  brayed  with  additions  of  milk,  rice 
flower,  and  honey.  These  employments,  however,  have 
never  lessened  the  sentimental  regard  for  the  blossom,  for 
to  this  day  in  parts  of  Germany  it  is  a  custom  to  decorate 
bride-beds  and  cradles  with  it,  a  practice  extending  back 
to  the  Celts  and  the  Greeks.  In  a  myth  of  the  latter  people 
the  violet  sprang  for  lo,  a  priestess  of  Juno's  temple,  with 
whom  Jupiter  was  almost  caught  in  one  of  his  flirtations. 
Not  having  time  to  conceal  her,  he  changed  her  into  a 
white  heifer ;  but  grass  not  being  good  enough  for  so  deli- 
cate a  creature,  the  god  created  the  violet  as  her  special 
food.     So  the  Greeks  named  it  ion,  and  the  nymphs  of 

280 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Ionia — which  bore  that  name  because  it  abounded  in  violets 
— consecrated  the  flowers  to  Jupiter.  From  Ionia  to  the 
mainland  was  but  a  step,  hence  the  Athenians  made  the 
flower  the  symbol  of  their  city.  Even  in  that  day  its  mort- 
uary service  had  begun,  for  when  a  Greek  was  buried 
his  body  was  concealed  with  violets,  and  they  were  also 
placed  about  his  grave,  or  tomb,  so  that  the  dread  recep- 
tacle was  carpeted  with  color  and  fragrance.  A  violet  of 
gold  was  a  prize  in  the  Provencal  singing  tourneys,  for  the 
half  superstitious  fondness  for  the  flower  and  its  cere- 
monial use  had  passed  easily  into  Christian  lands.  Though 
raised  for  lo,  it  in  some  way  became  sacred  to  Venus  and 
its  perfume  was  held  to  be  not  only  soothing,  but  stimulat- 
ing to  the  ardor  of  affection.  We  have  only  the  poet  Her- 
rick's  authority,  however,  for  believing  that  it  was  Venus 
who  made  the  violet  blue.  She  had  been  disputing  with  her 
son  Cupid  as  to  which  was  more  beautiful :  herself  or  a  bevy 
of  girls,  and  Cupid,  a  disobedient  scamp,  with  no  fear  of 
his  mother  before  his  eyes,  declared  for  the  girls.  This  sent 
Venus  into  such  a  rage  that  she  beat  her  rivals  till  they 
turned  blue  and  dwindled  into  violets. 

The  old  gods  having  died,  the  violet  passed  to  the  Vir- 
gin, and  in  some  countries  it  is  usual  to  place  it,  in  wreaths, 
upon  her  altar,  though  roses  and  lilies  are  commoner. 
Among  the  flowers  on  which  the  shadow  of  the  cross  fell  on 
the  day  of  the  crucifixion  was  the  violet,  and,  like  others 
in  that  shadow,  it  drooped  in  sorrow,  thereby  tokening  its 
consecration  to  Christian  service.  Its  color  is  suggested  in 
the  purple  of  church  mourning  and  the  wearing  of  ame- 
thyst jewels  by  persons  in  orphanage  or  widowhood.  Ma- 
hometans regard  it  almost  with  reverence,  because  it  was 
a  favorite  of  the  Prophet. 

Napoleon  was  known  as  Corporal  Violet  because  this 
was  his  favorite  flower,  and  when  sent  to  Elba  he  declared 

281 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

that  lie  would  return  when  the  violets  bloomed.  During 
the  exile  his  adherents  might  recognize  one  another  by  the 
little  blossom.  And  the  emperor  was  true  to  his  promise, 
so  there  was  a  wonderful  display  of  violets  when  he  re- 
entered the  Tuileries.  It  was  much  worn  during  his  reign, 
and  came  to  be  so  well  known  as  his  emblem  that  on  the 
restoration  of  the  Bourbons  it  was  treasonable  to  wear  it 
in  public  or  even  to  carry  it  in  bouquets.  Even  the  Re- 
public forbade  its  representation,  as  it  forbade  the  exhibi- 
tion of  the  royal  bees.  When  the  Bonapartes  returned  to 
power  the  violet  again  became  popular,  and  when  Napoleon 
the  Little  led  Eugenie  to  the  altar  the  sturdy  women  of 
the  markets  offered  a  huge  cluster  of  violets  to  her.  Till 
then  she  had  been  all  smiles,  but  when  the  purple  mass 
appeared  she  turned  pale,  her  figure  lost  its  queenly  dig- 
nity, and  tears  sprang  to  her  eyes.  The  women  whispered, 
*  *  It  is  the  funeral  flower :  the  token  of  ill  luck. '  *  And  when 
Eugenie  had  become  an  exile  in  England  and  wore  mourn- 
ing for  her  son,  killed  by  savages  in  Africa,  they  said, 
''The  flowers  foretold  it."  And  purple,  being  a  funeral 
color,  it  was  fitting  that  her  husband,  the  emperor,  should 
be  carried  to  his  tomb  under  a  pall  of  woven  violets,  as  he 
was. 

Of  late  the  violet  has  been  mentioned  in  reports  of  the 
medical  faculty,  claims  having  been  made  for  its  uses  in  the 
alleviation  and  even  cure  of  cancer.  Infusions  and  poultices 
of  the  leaves  are  alleged  to  be  of  benefit,  these  reviving  a 
practice  of  the  time  of  James  I.,  for  in  his  day  the  herbalist 
Culpepper  wrote,  * '  It  is  a  fine  and  pleasing  plant  of  Venus, 
of  a  mild  nature  and  no  way  hurtful.  It  is  used  to  cool 
any  heat  or  distemperature  of  the  body,  either  inwardly  or 
outwardly,  as  in  inflammation  of  the  eyes,  in  imposthumes 
and  hot  swellings,  to  drink  the  decoction  of  the  leaves  and 
flowers  made  with  water  or  wine,  or  to  apply  them  as 
poultices  to  the  affected  parts." 

282 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Our  eastern  tribes  of  red  men  have  a  legend  that  a 
Hercules  who  had  killed  a  giant  heron  that  preyed  on  his 
people  invaded  the  fastnesses  of  the  witches  in  the  moun- 
tains, brought  away  the  medicine  roots  that  cured  the 
plague,  and  defeated  a  hostile  tribe,  saw  in  the  camp  of 
the  heathen  people  a  girl  so  fair  that  his  rest  was  broken 
from  that  hour.  He  stole  from  his  own  lodge,  night  after 
night,  to  run  through  woods  and  over  hills,  to  guide  his 
canoe  across  ponds  and  rivers,  that  he  might  be  near  his 
loved  one  and  breathe  the  same  air  with  her.  He  recited 
her  perfections  to  the  stars  and  sang  his  love  in  terms  of 
such  music  that  the  birds  listened  and  their  warbling  was 
sweeter  when  they  had  heard.  After  he  had  waited  for 
several  moons  to  meet  the  girl,  his  patience  was  rewarded, 
for  she  wandered  into  the  wood  one  day,  and  springing 
from  his  concealment,  he  seized  and  ran  with  her  toward 
his  own  village.  Her  people,  who  followed  all  the  night, 
and  at  dawn  came  up  with  the  pair,  were  the  more  furious 
when  they  saw  that  the  girl  had  already  plighted  troth  to 
her  captor,  for  she  had  wound  the  braids  of  her  hair  about 
his  neck,  in  token  that  they  were  married.  No  time  was 
given  for  explanations :  the  tribe  fell  upon  both  the  abduc- 
tor and  the  maid  and  killed  them  on  the  spot,  leaving  the 
bodies  on  the  earth  as  they  marched  gloomily  back  to  their 
camp.  When  the  sun  shone  warm  in  spring  a  shy  new 
flower  appeared  amid  the  winter  wreckage  that  the  winds 
had  showered  over  the  dead  lovers:  it  was  the  violet;  and 
to  the  red  man  this  signifies  courage,  love,  and  devotion, 
for  the  birds  carried  its  seed  to  every  land,  as  if  they 
were  carrying  tokens  of  these  qualities  for  the  delight  of 
men  and  maids.  And  on  the  little  petals  may  be  seen  the 
strands  of  the  Indian  girl 's  hair,  which  she  had  bound  as  a 
tender  chain  about  her  lover  *s  neck.  And  the  red  men 
know  the  plant  as  **  heads  entangled.  *' 

283 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

THE  VINES 

Once  a  year,  when  the  moon  is  bright,  the  spirit  of 
Charlemagne  arises,  clothed  in  the  shadows  of  his  ancient 
state,  and  wanders  beside  the  Rhine,  enjoying  the  green  of 
the  vines  and  the  fragrance  of  the  grapes  he  planted  there. 
Then  he  crosses  the  stream  on  a  bridge  of  mist  and  light, 
and  if,  on  reaching  the  centre,  he  is  seen  to  lift  his  hand  in 
blessing,  a  rare  vintage  will  follow.  For  in  his  day,  as 
in  ours,  the  vine  was  one  of  the  glories  of  the  Fatherland, 
as  it  is  of  other  countries  that  produce  the  cheering 
juice.  It  has  become  the  symbol  of  refuge  and  shelter,  and 
we  still  speak  of  the  vine  and  fig-tree  as  typifying  home. 
In  Italy  some  relic  of  its  ancient  use  as  sanctuary  appears 
to  be  denoted  in  the  play  of  children,  who  make  it  * '  goal, ' ' 
where  they  are  safe  from  the  touch  of  the  boy  who  must 
tag  his  playmates.  In  days  old  and  new  it  crowned  the 
revel  and  bespoke  the  joys  of  the  cup  that  cheers  and  also 
inebriates.  For  as  the  pawnbroker  is  known  by  the  sign 
of  the  three  gilt  balls,  adapted  from  the  Lombard  coat  of 
arms,  and  as  the  barber  perpetuates  on  his  pole  a  represen- 
tation of  the  bandaged  arm  that  betokened  his  former  trade 
of  blood  letting,  so  the  bush,  till  recent  years  denoting  that 
drink  was  for  sale  beneath  it — ^though  we  have  the  Shakes- 
perean  assurance  that  good  wine  needs  no  bush — was  but 
a  fragment  of  the  vine  that  yielded  the  grapes. 

When  we  speak  of  the  vine  we  commonly  mean  that 
which  produces  grapes:  the  * 'life-giving  tree"  whose  leaves 
crowned  Bacchus,  and  whose  spirit  filled  his  sinful  old  skin. 
Saturn  gave  it  to  Crete,  Osiris  gave  it  to  Egypt,  while 
Geryon  carried  it  to  Spain.  The  spies  that  Israel  sent  into 
Palestine  returned  with  a  bunch  of  grapes  so  heavy  that  it 
took  two  of  them  to  carry  it.  In  Persia  a  woman  who  had 
intended  to  poison  herself  drank  some  juice  of  the  grape 

284 


By  Courtesy  of  Franz  Hanfstaengl 


THE   GRAPE    EATERS 

BY  MURILLO 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

that  had  become  fermented,  and  astonished  herself  and  her 
family  by  her  playfulness  and  mirth,  also  by  her  long 
sleep  and  headache.  She  had  made  a  discovery,  and  before 
the  frightfulness  of  her  example  was  realized  the  fame  of 
the  spoiled  grape  juice  had  gone  abroad. 

Vines  of  all  kinds  ask  for  human  liking  and  forbear- 
ance. Their  grace,  their  dependence  on  other  objects  for 
support,  the  beauty  of  their  leafage  and  efflorescence,  have 
caused  them  to  appear  often  in  literary  figures,  and  the  ivy 
and  oak,  as  representing  woman  and  man,  are  a  common 
enough  item  in  toasts  and  other  preconcerted  eloquence. 
Every  vine,  unless  it  might  be  poison  ivy,  and  that  is  less 
harmful  than  is  popularly  supposed,  may  be  said  to  express 
the  gentler  qualities.  Hymen's  altar  was  decked  with  ivy, 
in  token  of  the  clinging  love  of  woman;  and  if  you  wear 
a  wreath  of  it,  you  are  empowered  to  distinguish  between 
good  women  and  bad,  for  you  will  learn  to  know  witches 
when  you  see  them.  You  may  also  eat  its  berries  as  a 
medicine  against  plague.  The  cultivation  of  the  ivy  may 
date  as  far  back  as  the  Arthurian  reign;  at  least,  when 
Isolde  died,  lamenting  her  Tristan,  King  Mark,  in  his 
anger,  buried  them  apart;  but  an  ivy  that  grew  from 
Tristan's  breast  soon  met  another  that  grew  from  Isolde's 
grave,  and  the  vines  twined  together,  declaring  the  loves 
of  the  unfortunates.  Seeing  this,  the  king  recognized 
their  love  as  natural,  if  not  righteous,  and  buried  them 
together  in  his  church. 

What  is  known  as  ground  ivy,  or  periwinkle,  yellow 
bugle,  gill-by-the-ground,  haymaid's  cat's  foot,  ale  hoof, 
and  tun  hoof,  was  a  substitute  for  hops  in  ale,  but  that  was 
probably  before  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.  who  amended  for 
his  morals,  as  well  as  he  could,  by  introducing  into  England 
turkeys,  mackerel,  beer,  and  hops,  the  latter  in  Eussia 
typifying  joy  and  plenty,  and  so  serving  as  a  crown  for 

285 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

brides.  But  the  hop  surely  was  never  so  powerful  a  medi- 
cine as  the  ivy,  for  all  parts  of  the  latter  were  once  used 
by  the  faculty :  stem,  root,  leaf,  bark,  and  gum.  If  cooked 
in  wine,  its  extract  was  sovereign  against  burns  and  sores, 
and  Bacchus,  the  wise  god,  taught  his  worshippers  to  crown 
themselves  with  its  leaves  when  they  drank  deep,  and  so 
prevent  a  frenzy.  It  was  a  common  belief,  when  ivy  was 
a  crown  for  poets  and  conquerors,  that  it  was  a  proper 
head-dress  for  topers  likewise,  for  it  preserved  them  against 
the  self -sought  effects  of  alcohol.  Because  of  these  worldly 
associations,  the  church  long  refused  to  allow  the  plant  to 
be  brought  indoors,  even  as  a  holiday  decoration  for  its 
altars,  but  it  has  become  an  outward  decoration  for  more 
churches  than  houses,  and  at  Christmas  takes  its  place 
with  other  green  things,  signifying  neither  the  ambition  of 
the  soldier,  the  afflatus  of  the  poet,  nor  the  drunkard's  base 
content,  but  enduring  life. 

That  toleration  of  the  heathen  vine  had  become  estab- 
lished so  early  as  the  twelfth  century,  this  legend  of  Flor- 
ence will  signify:  In  that  time  there  stood  beside  a  con- 
vent in  the  city  a  tall  tree  clothed  with  ivy,  such  as  covered 
also  the  walls  of  the  retreat.  The  brethren  preserved  a 
tradition  that  if  the  ivy  fell  from  the  tree  it  would  also 
perish  from  the  walls,  and  if  the  walls  were  once  uncovered 
the  place  itself  was  in  danger.  A  fearful  plague  broke 
out  in  Florence.  Appeals  for  help  came  from  every  hand. 
As  the  monastery  was  rich  and  populous,  the  citizens 
flocked  to  it  in  numbers,  beseeching  aid,  but  the  abbot  told 
them,  sternly,  that  the  affairs  of  monks  were  affairs  of 
heaven,  not  of  men ;  hence  he  begged  them  to  be  gone,  for  he 
could  give  no  succor.  Indeed,  the  rules  of  his  order  forbade 
the  inmates  to  go  forth  into  the  world;  they  could  not 

286 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

relieve  the  sick,  minister  to  the  dying,  nor  bury  the  dead. 
A  family  entered  the  monastery  grounds,  nevertheless,  a 
day  or  two  later,  and  begged  for  refuge.  The  gate-keeper 
answered,  *'The  brethren  are  at  prayer  and  cannot  be  in- 
terrupted. But  you  may  take  the  shelter  of  the  trees." 
Half  ill,  wholly  disheartened,  the  fugitives  plodded  wearily 
into  the  garden  and  flung  themselves  upon  the  earth  in  the 
shade  of  the  ivy,  hoping  that  food  and  medicine  might  pres- 
ently be  served.  They  found  a  certain  rest  in  the  silence, 
and  coolness,  the  color  of  the  flowers  was  sweet  in  their 
nostrils,  the  chanting  of  the  monks  was  pleasant  in  their 
ears ;  but  hour  after  hour  went  by,  and  still  there  came  no 
help.  The  fever  was  beginning  to  work.  Toward  sun- 
down the  eldest  of  the  family,  divining  that  there  was  to  be 
no  shelter  for  him  or  his  loved  ones  that  night,  arose  and 
solemnly  cursed  the  monastery  and  its  inmates,  while  his 
youngest  child,  in  petulance,  hacked  at  the  ivy  on  the  tree 
till  it  was  severed  from  its  root.  When  at  last  the  monks 
had  finished  their  services  for  the  day  and  come  into  the 
garden  for  the  air  and  to  lighten  their  eyes  with  the  sun- 
set, the  people  who  had  asked  their  shelter  were  at  the  last 
gasp:  the  swift  plague  had  done  its  work.  Next  day  the 
ivy  was  dead  on  the  tree,  and  its  leaves  were  falling  over  the 
earth,  brown  and  withered.  Gathering  his  monks  about 
him,  the  abbot  offered  new  prayers  for  the  salvation  of  the 
monastery,  realizing  for  the  first  time  that  one  might  be  as 
selfish  in  his  search  for  heaven  as  in  the  search  for  wealth 
and  power  and  pleasure.  He  urged  them  to  amend  for 
their  mistake,  and  to  that  end  he  set  aside  the  rule  of  close 
confinement  and  bade  them  go  abroad  and  give  service 
where  they  might.  They  did  so  willingly,  but  it  was  too 
late.  Already  the  plague  was  sweeping  through  the  town, 
and  now  it  appeared  among  the  brethren  themselves.    As 

287 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  ivy  on  the  convent  grew  sere  and  dropped  its  leaves,  so 
the  souls  of  men  who  had  lived  for  tranquil  years  behind 
this  mask  of  green  cast  off  their  bodies  and  sought  the 
light.  No  hand  replanted  the  ivy:  the  doom  foretold  had 
come,  and  to-day  the  buildings  are  in  ruin. 

WALLFLOWER 

Troubadours  and  knights  often  affected  the  wallflower, 
carrying  it  in  their  caps  during  their  enterprises  up  and 
down  the  world,  to  express  constancy  to  the  feminine  ideal. 
It  doubtless  came  to  type  that  virtue  because  of  its  clinging 
to  the  wall  where  it  had  been  set ;  also  because  of  its  indom- 
itable flowering  the  whole  summer  long.  The  cheiranthus 
cheiri — Chaucerized  as  cherisaunce,  and  likewise  known 
as  heart's  ease,  wall  violet,  winter  gilliflower,  blood-drops- 
of-Christ,  and  bloody  warrior — had  its  legendary  origin  in 
a  castle  on  the  Tweed,  whose  lord  had  a  fair  young  daugh- 
ter, who  fell  in  love  with  the  laird  of  a  neighbor  clan, 
desperately  hated  by  her  father.  Their  secret  was  discov- 
ered, with  the  result  that  the  maid  was  confined  to  the 
castle.  But  the  Romeo  in  the  case  loved  his  Juliet  with 
a  fervor  that  dared  all  things,  so  in  the  disguise  of  a 
minstrel  he  obtained  entrance,  and,  sitting  in  apparent 
carelessness  beneath  the  window  where  he  knew  she  was 
listening,  he  strummed  his  lute  and  sang  a  tale  which 
he  knew  would  translate  itself  readily  to  her  ear.  When 
she  heard  a  moor-cock  call  in  the  night,  she  was  to  slip 
from  her  room  to  the  rampart.  He  would  contrive  to  throw 
to  her  a  rope  which  she  was  to  fasten  to  a  battlement  and 
let  herself  down  into  his  arms.  The  call  was  sounded,  the 
maid  crept  out  upon  the  platform,  and  caught  the  rope  that 
was  thrown  to  her,  but  she  fastened  it  improperly  and  so 
fell  to  the  cruel  stones  and  died.    The  powers  of  white 

288 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

magic  that  prevailed  about  the  place  took  belated  pity  and 
changed  her  body  to  the  wallflower,  so  a  new  form  of 
beauty  appeared  where  one  more  prized  had  been. 

WALNUT 

The  Greeks,  who  knew  it  as  the  Persian  tree  and  royal 
tree,  dedicated  the  walnut  to  Diana,  and  her  feasts  were 
held  beneath  it ;  yet,  like  the  Romans,  they  gave  to  it  other 
than  a  chaste  significance  when  they  strewed  its  nuts  at 
weddings,  to  denote  fecundity.  In  later  times,  yokels 
have  used  the  nuts  in  telling  fortunes,  for  spirits,  commonly 
of  evil,  lurk  in  its  branches  and  exert  an  influence!  over  its 
fruit,  and  over  those  who  use  it.  There  was  a  walnut  in 
old  Rome  that  was  so  filled  o '  nights  with  mischievous  imps 
that  they  became  a  public  scandal,  and  some  centuries 
ago  it  was  found  necessary  to  cut  it  down  and  build  the 
Church  of  Santa  Maria  del  Popolo  on  its  site.  It  is  a  com- 
mon belief  that  its  leaves  and  husks  are  so  astringent  as  to 
be  harmful  to  other  vegetation,  especially  to  grass  and 
herbage  on  which  they  fall  in  autumn,  wherefore  the  tree 
came  to  an  ill  renown,  as  poisonous.  The  use  of  the  juices 
of  its  nut  husks  to  stain  the  face,  impart  a  gypsy  com- 
plexion, or  serve  as  other  disguise,  should  give  the  lie  to 
this  assertion,  but  in  England  it  is  common  to  find  hostility 
to  the  walnut  among  farmers,  who  declare  that  the  black 
walnut  will  not  only  prevent  the  growth  of  plants  and 
grass  beneath  it,  but  will  blight  all  the  apples  round  about. 
In  some  countries  the  peasantry  will  assemble  about  the 
tree  and  heartily  cudgel  it,  though  if  you  ask  why  they  do 
this  thing  they  tell  you  that  it  is  to  make  it  yield  more 
plentifully.  In  Russia  they  have  a  dreadful  saying:  '*A 
dog,  and  a  wife  and  a  walnut  tree :  the  more  you  beat  them, 
the  better  they  be. ' '  Possibly  it  is  the  nut  of  the  whipped 
19  289 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

tree  that  used  to  be  found  effective  in  averting  thunder- 
bolts, fevers,  and  spells,  and  it  has  a  most  precious  prop- 
erty in  that,  if  dropped  under  a  chair  in  which  a  witch  is 
seated,  she  will  find  it  impossible  to  rise.  The  Lithuanian 
legend  of  the  deluge  will  in  part  explain  these  virtues,  for 
in  that  the  deity  was  eating  nuts  while  the  waters  over- 
whelmed the  earth,  and  the  righteous,  climbing  into  the 
shells  as  they  fell  upon  the  surface  of  the  sea,  found  in  each 
an  ark,  and  so  escaped  the  death  that  was  dealt  to  the 
wicked. 

The  walnut  is  a  melancholy  tree,  for  in  parts  of  the  old 
world,  as  you  walk  beneath  it  of  an  evening,  you  may  hear 
the  servants  of  the  devil  whispering,  snickering,  and  gib- 
bering in  its  branches.  A  famously  bad  tree  of  this  type 
was  the  walnut  of  Benevento,  for  the  unchristianized  of  its 
neighborhood  worshipped  it  and  performed  unhallowed  rites 
in  the  darkness  which  was  made  by  the  spread  of  its 
branches.  They  jogged  on  in  their  wickedness  and  content 
till  the  time  came  to  let  understanding  into  their  heads, 
and  this  ungrateful  task  fell  to  the  Emperor  Constantius. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  dissatisfaction  when  he  camped 
before  their  walls  and  announced  that  he  was  to  be  a  mis- 
sionary to  them,  nor  did  it  appear  to  mend  matters  when 
one  of  their  own  people,  a  Saint  Barbatus,  upbraided  them 
and  assured  them  that  the  siege,  with  all  the  horrors  that 
it  promised,  was  the  result  of  their  own  slowness  in  accept- 
ing the  true  religion.  Still,  if  that  was  all  that  lay  in  the 
way  of  preventing  farther  hostilities,  they  would  reform  at 
once ;  so  they  were  baptized,  voted  him  bishop,  and  the  first 
use  he  made  of  his  new  authority  was  in  cutting  down  the 
walnut.  As  it  fell,  a  serpent  was  seen  to  glide  beneath 
its  roots,  and,  having  his  suspicions  of  the  reptile,  the  saint 
sprinkled  holy  water  on  it,  whereupon  the  disguise  fell  off, 
and  the  Evil  One  was  discovered.    Having  confessed  him- 

290 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

r'  zz 

self,  he  vanished.  So  entirely  was  the  curse  removed  from 
the  walnut  that  when  Saint  Agatha  crossed  the  Mediter- 
ranean from  Catania  to  Gallipolis  a  nut  shell  sufficed  for 
the  journey,  and  she  continues  to  make  it  in  this  little  bark, 
every  year. 

WATER-LILY 

In  the  German  fable,  the  water  nymphs  hide  from  the 
eyes  of  men  by  taking  the  shape  of  water  lilies,  resuming 
the  forms  of  women  when  the  strangers  have  passed,  while 
the  evil  nix,  or  water  sprite,  lurks  beneath  the  round 
leaves  of  the  plant  and  will  do  a  mischief,  if  he  can,  to  any 
who  try  to  gather  his  **sea  roses."  The  Teutons  have  long 
employed  the  lily  in  ornament  and  in  their  heraldry. 
Seven  *'swan  flower'^  leaves  decorated  the  Frisian  arms, 
and  King  Herwic  bore  a  banner  of  blue  embroidered  with 
the  same  device.  This  flower,  rising  through  pure  water 
and  unfolding  to  the  sun  in  petals  of  snow,  has  been  fitly 
chosen  to  represent  chastity,  and  the  Wallachians,  who 
know  it  as  a  scentless  flower — it  is  the  American  nymphea 
only  that  is  perfumed — make  it  the  judge  of  all  other 
blooms,  for  they  hold  that  every  flower  has  a  soul.  If 
those  others  have  used  their  odors  generously  and  well, 
they  are  admitted  to  St.  Peter's  gate  to  bloom  thence- 
forth in  paradise;  if  not,  they  wither  and  disappear.  In 
the  east  the  water  flower  is  carried  before  the  dead  on  the 
way  to  burial,  as  typing  the  virtues  that  made  the  de- 
ceased beloved ;  yet  in  the  folk-lore  of  the  plant  it  is  averse 
to  love,  being  too  pure,  no  doubt,  and  a  couple  of  thousand 
years  ago  by  carrying  a  water  lily  one  could  break  the 
effect  of  a  love  potion  secretly  administered  by  some  too 
enamored  maid  or  swain. 

Although  the  man  who  renamed  the  Lake  of  the  Clus- 
tered Stars  escaped  hanging,  for  all  that  he  called  it  Tup- 

291 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

per's  Lake,  that  sheet  of  water  is  as  beautiful  under  one 
name  as  the  other.  Here,  on  its  hilly  shore,  abode  the 
Saranacs,  of  whom  Wayotah  (Blazing  Sun)  was  the  chief, 
and  Oseetah  (The  Bird)  the  fairest  maid.  Oseetah  loved 
the  tall  and  sinewy  leader;  she  delighted  in  his  tales  of 
war  and  his  boasting ;  but  her  parents  had  promised  her  to 
a  younger  and  less  warlike  man,  and  it  was  her  parents, 
rather  than  her  inclinations,  that  she  felt  bound  to  obey. 
Wayotah  laid  strong  siege  to  her  heart,  but  although  she 
marked  her  flights  with  tears,  she  still  avoided  him  until, 
on  his  return  from  a  successful  campaign  against  the 
Tahawi,  he  followed  her  across  the  lake  in  his  canoe.  She 
eluded  him  when  he  sought  to  embrace  her;  she  was  silent 
when  he  asked  her  to  sing;  then,  when  grown  more  eager, 
he  advanced  toward  her  with  outheld  arms,  she  ran  up 
on  a  rock  projecting  over  the  water  and,  looking  back  at 
him  with  a  glance  that  made  confession  of  her  love,  yet 
raised  her  hand  to  warn  him  back.  Wayotah  was  not  to 
be  warned.  He  was  close  beside  her  and  smiled  as  he 
sought  to  grasp  her  hands ;  but  before  her  intent  had  been 
divined,  she  plunged  into  the  lake  and  the  waters  closed 
above  her.  The  young  chief  leaped  in  to  the  rescue,  yet, 
strangely,  nothing  could  he  see  of  her :  she  had  disappeared 
as  the  rain-drop  vanishes  in  the  stream.  After  long  wait- 
ing and  long  search,  he  returns  to  his  village  and  tells  his 
people  of  this  happening,  whereon  there  is  long  lamenting, 
and  the  girl's  parents  are  sore  stricken.  Next  day  a 
hunter  comes  running  to  the  village  with  amazement  in 
his  eyes.  *' Flowers  are  growing  in  the  water!''  he  cries; 
and  the  people  hurry  to  see.  Their  fleet  of  canoes  is 
speeded  toward  the  Island  of  Elms,  and  there  it  is  as  the 
messenger  has  said :  the  lake  is  white  and  gold  with  bloom, 
and  the  air  deliciously  perfumed.  * '  This  was  not  so  yester- 
day," exclaim  the  men.    **TelI  us  what  this  means,"  de- 

292 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

mand  the  women,  of  their  prophet.  He  answers,  "This 
bed  of  flowers  is  Oseetah,  changed  in  death  to  these  forms 
of  life.  Her  heart  was  as  pure  as  these  petals;  her  love 
burned  like  the  gold  they  inclose.  Watch,  and  you  will 
discover  that  the  flower  unfolds  in  the  warmth  of  the  sun, 
and  when  it  sets  its  life  will  be  darkened,  and  it  will  close 
and  sleep  on  the  surface  of  the  lake. '  *  Then  Wayotah  went 
into  the  forest  and  sat  with  head  bowed  toward  the  earth. 

WILLOW 

People  who  have  been  brought  up  under  the  kindly 
influences  of  old  china  will  remember  the  plates  and  cups 
of  willow  pattern  that  decorated  their  sideboards ;  but  it  is 
likely  that  many  of  them  have  never  heard  the  tradition 
attaching  to  the  picture.  The  tale  is  this:  Koong  Shee, 
winsome  daughter  of  a  mandarin,  loved  Chang,  her  father 's 
secretary.  When  this  attachment  was  discovered,  the  stern 
parent  forbade  the  marriage  and  imprisoned  the  girl  in 
the  house  shown  at  the  left  of  the  plate,  with  a  lake  before 
it.  From  the  window  she  could  see  the  water  and  the  willow 
that  overhung  the  bridge,  and  she  wrote  despairing  poems 
telling  how  she  longed  to  be  free  that  she  might  see  the 
peach  tree  bloom.  Chang  smuggled  comfort  to  her  in  mes- 
sages inclosed  in  shells  of  cocoanuts  that  were  sent  for  her 
refection,  and  she  committed  to  the  lake  a  shell  with  a  tiny 
sail:  a  sail  of  ivory  on  which  was  written,  **Do  not  wise 
farmers  gather  the  fruits  they  fear  may  be  stolen  ? '  *  Chang, 
wandering  by  the  shore,  disconsolate,  saw  the  shell  dancing 
over  the  water,  lifted  it  out,  read  the  message,  and  took 
heart.  The  meaning  was  plain :  if  Chang  wanted  his  bride 
he  must  take  her.  And  he  did.  Disguised  as  a  travelling 
priest,  he  gained  admission  to  the  pavilion  where  the  fair  one 
was  kept,  and,  gathering  her  jewels  and  other  consolations, 

293 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

the  two  fled  hastily,  crossing  the  bridge  where  the  willow 
rioted  in  defiance  of  all  the  natural  laws.  Before  they  had 
crossed  the  bridge  the  old  mandarin  was  after  them  with  a 
whip,  and  if  you  look  closely  you  will  see  the  escaping 
pair,  Chang  with  the  jewel  box,  Koong  Shee  with  a  distaff, 
and  the  parent  with  the  lash,  crossing  the  bridge  in  sedate 
procession.  Being  young,  nimble,  and  eager,  the  lovers 
were  presently  out  of  reach,  and,  taking  the  boat,  which  is 
pictured  as  crossing  the  lake  in  the  middle  distance,  found 
safety  in  the  pagoda-like  house  on  the  farther  shore,  and 
there  they  lived  in  peace  till  the  rich  old  codger  who  had 
expected  to  become  the  husband  of  the  girl  discovered 
their  retreat,  and  set  fire  to  their  home,  burning  them  to 
death.  The  plate  farther  illustrates  what  happened,  for 
you  will  observe  that  just  above  the  willow  are  two  doves 
in  full  flight.  They  are  the  spirits  of  the  lovers  continu- 
ing in  another  form  the  endearments  that  jealousy  inter- 
rupted in  their  human  shape. 

Willow  figures  in  a  Japanese  tale  or  allegory  as  the 
humble  companion  of  a  tall  and  luxuriant  bamboo.  It  was 
when  the  world  was  young  and  new  plants  were  coming  into 
it  every  little  while,  some  of  them  to  be  pleasantly  greeted 
by  the  early  comers,  others  snubbed,  somewhat  as  quiet 
mortals  have  been  snubbed  by  those  more  aggressively  con- 
scious of  superiority.  And  so,  when  an  unknown  plant,  a 
timid,  pleading  sort  of  thing,  came  out  of  the  ground  be- 
tween the  bamboo  and  the  willow,  the  bamboo  tossed  her 
plumes  and  turned  away,  muttering  that  there  were  too 
many  upstarts.  The  willow,  old,  gnarly,  but  more  kind, 
whispered  through  its  leaves  to  the  little  plant,  bidding  it 
take  courage,  for  the  sun  was  shining  and  the  rain  falling 
for  everything  that  grew.  Still,  the  liking  of  the  infant 
was  for  the  bamboo :  it  stood  so  tall  and  proud  and  shapely. 
*'Let  me  take  hold  of  you  till  I  can  feel  my  strength/'  it 

£94 


THE   LEGEND    OF    THE   WILLOW 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

pleaded.  But  the  bamboo  swung  itself  away,  and  bade  the 
child  plant  keep  its  distance.  Again  the  willow  spoke: 
**Grip  your  little  green  fingers  into  my  bark.  I  shall  not 
mind.  You  will  find  in  my  shadow  strength  and  protec- 
tion. Lean  against  me  and  don't  be  afraid."  Still  look- 
ing toward  the  bamboo,  the  little  plant  crept  over  the  grass 
to  the  willow,  and  the  old  tree  seemed  to  lift  it  to  itself. 
After  a  time  it  was  not  the  willow  that  sheltered  the  vine 
so  much  as  it  was  the  vine  that  sheltered  the  willow,  for  it 
had  grown  to  its  top  and  was  flaunting  banners  of  green 
as  if  in  gladness  at  the  completion  of  the  ascent.  Tree 
and  vine  established  a  loving  unity  and  were  fair  to  look 
on.  And  having  put  out  all  its  leaves,  the  vine  began  to 
bud.  Once  again  the  bamboo  deigned  to  look  at  it.  *  *  And 
what,"  it  asked,  *'are  those  unsightly  knobs  that  are  grow- 
ing on  that  vine?  Some  disease,  belike,  that  the  creature 
has  brought  among  us  and  may  afflict  the  entire  country." 
The  willow  made  no  answer  and  whispered  the  vine  to  take 
no  notice;  so  with  a  rustling  sneer  the  bamboo  tossed  its 
head  again  and  contemplated  the  distance.  But  when  the 
next  sun  arose  the  buds  burst  and  the  old  willow  was 
decked  from  crown  to  foot  with  glorious  color  and  bathed 
in  perfume.  And  the  owner  of  the  land  called  his  friends 
to  see  the  wonder,  for  it  was  a  gift  of  the  gods.  His  men 
gazed  in  admiration.  **"We  must  clear  a  space  about  it," 
said  the  lord,  ''to  see  its  beauty  the  better.  Keep  the  wil- 
low, but  cut  this  bamboo."  *'It  is  a  fine  and  straight  bam- 
boo," his  laborers  objected.  **Yes,  and  so  is  much  of  its 
kind,  whereas  no  man  has  seen  the  like  of  this  vine  before." 
And  that  was  done  which  had  been  ordered.  And  the 
beauty  of  pride  and  the  pride  of  beauty  were  as  naught. 
It  is  claimed  that  the  weeping  willow  took  its  name,  not 
from  the  drooping  habit  of  its  branches,  but  from  associa- 
tion with  those  of  Israel,  who  hung  their  harps  upon  it 

295 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

and  gave  themselves  to  tears  because  they  were  troubled. 
Long  before  that  time,  the  sisters  of  Phaeton,  wailing  his 
death  when  he  fell  from  the  car  of  the  sun,  were  changed 
into  willows,  and  the  long  green  streamers  they  put  forth 
were  as  cascades  of  tears.  The  tree  has  been  fond  of  damp- 
ness ever  since.  And  on  such  a  grove  of  willows  the  sor- 
ceress Circe  hanged  those  of  her  suitors  who  least  pleased 
her,  the  others  being  changed  into  beasts.  The  association 
of  the  willow  with  death  and  the  uncanny  is  denoted  also 
in  the  custom  of  planting  it  in  cemeteries — a  custom  inaugu- 
rated by  the  Chinese,  thousands  of  years  ago.  Sprays 
of  willow  are  stre^vn  on  coffins  in  China,  for,  being  of  long 
life,  it  is  a  reminder  of  immortality;  and  it  is  often  used 
as  a  decorative  motive  in  Chinese  art.  In  some  countries 
its  branch  is  a  wand  of  divination  and  implement  of  pro- 
tection against  evil  spirits;  at  least,  it  preserved  Orpheus 
from  the  fiends  when  he  descended  into  hell.  The  willow 
bears  a  curse,  inasmuch  as  it  is  one  of  the  several  trees  on 
which  Judas  hanged  himself,  being  planted  by  the  devil  in 
order  to  lure  people  to  suicide  by  the  peculiar  restful  swing- 
ing of  its  branches.  It  begets  snakes,  while  its  ashes  drives 
them  away.  It  is  a  meeting  place  and  abiding  place  of 
witches,  for  if  a  witch  embarks  deliberately  on  her  career 
of  evil,  her  first  step  is  to  a  willow,  where,  sitting  on  its 
root,  she  solemnly  forswears  God  and  all  holy  things ;  then, 
writing  her  name  in  her  own  blood  on  the  book  that  the 
devil  offers,  she  consigns  herself  to  eternal  torment.  So, 
if  you  shall  be  tramping  a  desolate  country  alone  between 
the  middle  of  the  night  and  the  break  of  day,  and  shall 
hear  a  voice  luring  or  laughing  from  a  thicket  of  willows, 
beware,  for  it  is  Kundry,  the  witch  of  ''Parsifal,''  who  is 
there.  She  is  that  Herodias  who  asked  the  head  of  John 
the  Baptist,  and  who,  as  Christ  went  to  his  death,  laughed 
at  Him.    Christ  turned  one  reproving  look  upon  her,  then 

296 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

bade  her  go  into  the  world  and  wander  till  his  return,  for- 
bidding her  the  solace  of  tears  when  she  was  weary  of  her 
fate — a  form  of  the  legend  of  the  Wandering  Jew. 

Apart  from  tales  and  superstitions  that  associate  the 
willow  with  tragedies  and  mishaps,  is  the  English  faith 
that  it  had  virtues  on  Palm  Sunday  when  used  as  a  substi- 
tute for  the  palm;  for  its  branches  on  that  day  became 
valuable  for  healing  and  the  aversion  of  spells.  It  had 
of  old  a  purifying  agency.  The  agnus  castus,  a  variety 
of  willow,  jdelded  beds  for  maids  in  the  festivals  of  Ceres, 
where  they  might  sleep  and  retain  their  innocence,  its  repute 
coming  down  to  later  times  when  it  became  the  piper  mona- 
Chorum,  because  its  odor  expelled  impure  thoughts.  Hence 
monks  made  girdles  of  its  withes,  declaring  that  *^it  with- 
standeth  all  uncleanness  or  desire  to  the  flesh." 

In  our  country  the  weeping  willow  is  an  exotic,  the 
first  one  coming  to  us  through  the  agency  of  Alexander 
Pope,  the  English  poet,  who  stripped  it,  a  tough  green 
withe,  from  a  box  of  fruit  sent  from  Smyrna  to  his  friend 
Lady  Suffolk.  ** Perhaps,"  said  he,  ''this  will  produce 
something  that  we  have  not  in  England."  Pope  set  the 
twig  into  the  earth  on  Thames  bank,  at  his  villa  in  Twick- 
enham, and  a  young  British  officer  tweaked  a  small  limb 
from  it  long  after,  intending  to  plant  it  in  our  soil.  He 
came  with  the  king's  troops  to  the  Colonies,  and,  never 
doubting  the  success  of  the  royal  arms,  had  decided  to 
settle  in  America  on  the  conclusion  of  the  war  and  end  his 
years  on  the  big  estates  he  expected  to  receive  from  the 
beaten  enemy.  When  the  war  ended  he  gave  the  twig,  which 
he  had  preserved  in  a  wrapping  of  oiled  silk,  to  John  Parke 
Custis,  son  of  Mrs.  Washington,  who  planted  it  on  the 
Abingdon  estate,  in  Virginia,  where  it  rooted  and  flourished, 
and  from  that  ancestor  have  come  all  the  weeping  willows 
in  America.    The  willow  at  Twickenham  was  chopped  down 

297 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

by  the  Briton  who  bought  the  property,  because  travellers 
came  in  such  shoals  to  worship  under  it  and  cut  souvenirs 
and  ask  questions,  that  they  interfered  with  his  privacy. 
Another  willow  that  has  multiplied  itself  from  cuttings,  and 
grows  by  proxy  in  many  lands,  is  that  on  St.  Helena's 
island,  beneath  which  Napoleon  often  sat  and  thought  on 
his  fallen  fortunes.  On  the  night  of  his  death  it  was 
uprooted  by  a  storm. 

WORMWOOD 

Wormwood,  absinthium,  is  the  poisonous  ingredient  in 
absinthe  that  causes  so  many  antics  in  Europe.  If  it  be 
rubbed  over  a  child's  hands  before  he  is  twelve  weeks  old, 
wormwood  will  keep  moths  out  of  his  hair,  and  he  will  never 
suffer  from  heat  or  cold.  Curiously,  this  herb  was  steeped 
in  the  wines  of  the  ancients  in  order  to  counteract  their 
alcohol,  and  it  likewise  defended  one  against  hemlock,  shrew 
mice,  and  sea  dragons.  The  variety  known  as  mugwort 
takes  the  name  of  artemisia  from  Artemis,  wife  of  Mausolus, 
though  some  say  it  is  Artemis,  the  Greek  Diana,  and  it 
was  therefore  used  in  female  disorders,  as  well  as  in  the 
secret  incantations  wherewith  one  brought  the  spirits  of  the 
dead  and  the  fiends  of  the  netherworld  to  the  surface. 
**Eat  muggins  in  May''  and  escape  consumption,  poison, 
tire,  bills,  beasts,  and  other  disorderly  besetments.  Made 
into  a  cross  and  put  on  the  roof,  mugwort  will  be  blessed  by 
Christ  Himself,  hence  it  must  not  be  taken  down  for  a 
year. 

A  Russian,  passing  through  a  wood,  fell  into  a  pit  of 
serpents  who  guarded  a  shining  stone  which  served  them 
as  food  if  only  they  licked  it,  and  she,  too,  was  kept  alive 
in  this  manner.  In  the  spring  the  snakes  bound  themselves 
into  a  ladder  by  which  she  climbed  out  of  their  den  and  so 

298 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

into  the  world  of  light  and  green  things.  As  she  was  about 
to  leave  them,  the  queen  of  the  snakes  granted  to  her 
the  power  of  understanding  the  speech  and  uses  of  plants, 
on  condition  tl?at  she  never  named  the  mugwort;  but  when 
suddenly  asked  by  a  stranger  what  grew  beside  the  path, 
she  answered,  *  *  Tohornobil' *  (mugwort),  and  her  mystic 
knowledge  forsook  her.  So  one  Russian  name  for  it  is 
**herb  of  forgetfulness.'' 

YEW 

The  yew  attains  great  size  and  great  age,  one  in  the 
churchyard  of  Fortingal,  Perthshire,  being  said  to  be 
two  thousand  five  hundred  years  old.  One  in  Hedsor, 
Buclas,  is  twenty-seven  feet  around,  and  three  thousand 
two  hundred  and  forty  years  of  age,  but  the  oldest  living 
thing  on  earth  is  a  yew  in  Chapultepec,  Mexico,  one  hun- 
dred and  nineteen  feet  around  and  six  thousand  two 
hundred  and  sixty  years  old. 

Yew  furnished  bows  in  the  day  when  the  archer  was 
your  only  soldier,  and  the  only  hunter.  This  use  of  it  for 
bows  gave  to  the  tree  its  botanical  name,  taxus  haccata,  or 
bow  yew.  With  bows  fashioned  from  its  tough  wood,  Robin 
Hood  and  his  robbing  horde  enforced  their  demands  in 
Sherwood  Forest.  After  swearing  fealty  to  Richard,  life 
was  dull  for  Robin,  and  he  did  not  sorrow  deeply  when  the 
king  died,  leaving  him  free  to  resume  his  career ;  but  times 
had  changed:  poaching,  theft,  and  violence  were  not  in 
their  old  favor ;  the  pestered  community  declined  to  accept 
them  as  jokes  any  longer.  So  they  took  to  hunting  the 
hunters.  Then  Maid  Marian,  wife  or  mistress  of  the  ban- 
dit, died,  and  life  lost  its  relish  for  him.  Next  came  an 
order  from  the  new  king,  urging  that  all  highwaymen 
be  hunted  down,  and  offering  rewards  for  Robin,  who  was 
hurt  presently  in  a  fight  with  the  king's  men.    He  bade 

299 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

Little  John  help  him  to  Kirkley  Hall,  where  his  sister, 
abbess  of  a  convent,  kept  a  room  prepared  for  him,  and 
where  he  was  made  as  comfortable  as  possible.  But  his 
wounds  were  beyond  surgery.  With  his  horn  at  his  lips, 
he  sounded  the  three  blasts  by  which  he  was  used  to  summon 
his  band,  and  Little  John  ran  in,  knowing  that  the  end  was 
near,  for  the  sound  was  faint.  As  he  entered  the  room,  the 
dying  man  asked  for  his  good  yew  bow  and  arrows.  **Bury 
me  where  this  arrow  falls,"  he  entreated;  then,  fitting  an 
arrow  to  the  string,  he  shot.  The  missile  fell  at  the  foot 
of  a  yew  which  might  have  yielded  such  a  bow  as  he  held 
in  his  unconscious  grasp.  A  sigh,  and  Robin  Hood  was  a 
memory.  The  mortal  part  of  him  they  buried,  as  he  had 
bidden,  under  the  yew. 

That  Robin 's  yew  was  growing  in  a  graveyard  is  signifi- 
cant of  a  practice  that  extended  back  to  the  Ptolemies  in 
Egypt,  and  was  implanted  in  Greece  and  Rome  where  yew 
fed  the  cinerary  fires,  was  carried  in  procession  at  funerals, 
and  placed  in  the  grave  before  the  body  was  lowered — 
this  last  a  ceremony  that  survives  in  the  Egyptian  custom 
of  throwing  basil  over  tombs,  in  the  masonic  rite  of  casting 
acacia  into  a  grave,  and  in  a  growing  usage  of  lining  graves 
with  evergreen  to  soften  the  asperity  of  the  cold,  wet  earth. 
There  was  a  sanitary  motive  for  planting  yew  in  cemeteries, 
inasmuch  as  it  was  believed  to  drink  up  the  poisonous  ex- 
halations from  ground  infected  by  the  dead — true,  in  a 
measure,  of  all  plants.  An  English  legend  gives  a  ghastly 
significance  to  this  churchyard  tree,  for  it  recites  that  a 
priest,  having  fixed  the  eyes  of  love  on  a  girl  of  his  congre- 
gation, became  so  enraged  at  her  refusal  to  elope  with  him 
that  he  killed  her  and  cut  off  her  head.  This  relic  being 
hung  upon  a  yew  limb  imparted  sanctity  to  the  tree,  for  it 
symbolized  martyrdom  for  righteousness 's  sake,  and  the 
people  collected  pieces  of  the  bark  as  charms,  especially 

soo 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

prizing  those  filaments  that  might  be  likened  to  hair.  Hence 
the  name  of  the  town  where  the  tragedy  was  enacted :  Hali- 
fax, meaning,  holy  hair.  In  Vreton,  Brittany,  is  another 
holy  yew  that  sprang  from  St.  Thomas's  staff,  and  was  so 
revered  that  not  only  did  the  people  refrain  from  touching 
it,  but  birds  would  not  pick  its  berries.  A  band  of  pirates, 
seeing  how  stout  it  was,  climbed  into  it  to  cut  bows  and 
spears,  but  while  at  this  employ  the  branches  broke  and  in 
their  fall  the  skulls  of  the  rogues  were  cracked  beyond 
repair. 

YLANG-YLANG 

Like  the  locust  and  wistaria,  the  ylang-ylang  of  the 
Philippines  bears  its  flowers  in  drooping,  greenish-yellow 
clusters,  which  emit  a  delightful  fragrance.  For  years 
the  perfumers  of  Europe  and  America  have  used  them  in 
their  preparations,  and  until  the  coal  tar  products  of  the 
synthetic  chemist  have  driven  flower  juices  out  of  the 
market,  the  ylang-ylang  will  continue  to  be  prized,  by  all 
except  the  Tulisanes.  And  why  not  by  them?  Well,  to 
begin  at  the  beginning,  they  had  incurred  the  displeasure 
of  Naga,  greatest  of  the  many  gods  that  were  worshipped 
in  Pauay,  and  whose  likenesses  in  the  groves  and  temples 
were  of  a  particular  wood,  held  sacred  to  his  use,  a  rare 
wood,  hard  and  handsome.  Every  town  and  hamlet  had 
its  statue  of  Naga,  and  it  received  worship  and  offerings 
each  day.  Naga  was  not  a  handsome  god ;  at  least,  he  had 
several  mouths,  one  above  the  other,  a  disfigurement,  or 
circumstance,  that  has  left  its  effect  on  the  handles  of  the 
native  bolos,  which  are  sometimes  carved  with  faces  sug- 
gesting his. 

What  it  was  that  excited  the  ire  of  Naga  against  the 
Tulisanes  has  been  forgotten  in  the  night  of  history.  But 
Naga  determined  to  exterminate  them,  and,  to  that  end, 

301 


MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS  OF  FLOWERS,  ETC. 

he  blighted  their  crops  so  that  they  should  die  of  hunger; 
and  marked  them  for  accident  and  pestilence.  They  could 
abide  it  no  longer,  but  came  trooping  down  from  the  moun- 
tains, and  took  a  fearful  revenge  on  Naga  by  smashing 
all  his  images  and  burning  all  the  trees  from  which  they 
had  been  carved. 

The  other  tribes  gave  battle,  and  eventually  drove  the 
Tulisanes  back  into  the  mountains,  but  the  dreadful  prob- 
lem of  providing  new  statues  of  the  god  confronted  the 
victors,  for  unless  such  figures  were  erected  in  the  towns 
the  people  would  forget  him,  and  he  would  not  receive  his 
due  of  praise.  It  was  resolved  to  release  a  captive  bird 
and  use  as  wood  for  the  statues  that  of  the  tree  on  which 
he  should  alight.  The  bird  perched  on  the  ylang-ylang. 
Then,  behold,  a  miracle :  the  tree,  which  had  never  borne 
fruit  nor  flower  before,  now  burst  into  bloom,  and  each  little 
bird-like  flower  filled  the  air  with  a  fragrance  such  as  till 
then  had  never  been  breathed.  Naga  had  sanctified  the 
tree ;  and  from  that  time  all  the  likenesses  that  were  made 
of  him  were  carved  from  its  wood.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
the  Tulisanes  regarded  this  survival  of  their  enemy  in  the 
clouds  with  discontent? 


3601  fl- 57 


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